Child killed in Peloton treadmill accident as CEO issues warning to parents

A child has died in a Peloton treadmill incident

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A child has died in an accident involving a Peloton treadmill, leading the company’s chief to warn parents to keep infants away from the equipment.

Peloton has grown in popularity in the last year with more people turning to its at-home workout products as they ditch their gym memberships amidst the pandemic.

John Foley, Peloton’s co-founder and chief executive, emailed owners of the Tread+ on March 18 to inform them of the incident.

"I’m reaching out to you today because I recently learned about a tragic accident involving a child and the Tread+, resulting in, unthinkably, a death," he wrote.

"While we are aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt, each one is devastating to all of us at Peloton, and our hearts go out to the families involved."

Peloton shares fell more than 3 per cent in New York trading on Thursday.

Tread+ is one of a range of Peloton’s treadmills and bikes, which features a screen allowing users to follow training videos and virtual workouts.

Mr Foley advised users to keep pets and children away from Peloton equipment, and store it safely when not in use.

Around 25,000 children each year in the US are hurt on exercise equipment, of which 2,600 kids on average end up in the emergency room from treadmill accidents.