KITE TUBES RECALLED

The Nebraska company SportsStuff is voluntarily recalling 19,000 kite tubes, in light of several injuries, and reports of deaths.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sent out a warning about kite tubes in early July. There were concerns about the safety of kite tubes after 39 reports surfaced in the U.S. of people being injured using the watercraft. They include a broken neck, punctured lung, chest, back, and facial injuries.

There were also two deaths reported, but SportsStuff says it is unable to determine the exact cause of those tragedies.

In Canada, an Ontario man died while kite tubing in July. That tragedy happened just days after a scary incident northeast of Edmonton on Garner Lake. The Koperski family of Edmonton filed an injury complaint with Health Canada after Dallas Koperski, 21, caught a gust of wind while on a kite tube, and was slammed into the water. He was knocked out cold. His brother Brandon jumped into the lake to save him. Dallas was rushed to hospital, suffering severe whiplash and a concussion.

The Koperski family has been warning others about the dangers of kite tubing. They’ve also been calling stores, requesting the kite tubes be pulled from the shelves. The Koperskis say getting kite tubes off the water will mean a safer summer.

Dallas says, “I think it’s definitely the right decision. It’ll probably save a lot of lives and prevent a lot of injuries.”

Brandon feels “really happy. We thought it would happen before the end of the summer because there are so many injuries happening. It’s nice to see it happen so soon.”

SportsStuff says people should stop using the “Wego Kite Tubes” immediately. The company will exchange the kite tube, and is offering replacement products.

For more information, call 1-866-831-5524. You can also log onto http://www.sportsstuff.com.

Here in Edmonton, Barry Jay’s Marine was selling the kite tubes. The store says you can bring it in and get your money back. The kite tubes were selling for about $600.

Health Canada is now investigating similar products on the market to determine if there are safety risks.