Hoverboards injure people two very different ways, and the claim looks different for each. A fall from a self-balancing scooter is usually a fracture or head-injury case. A board that overheats, smokes, or ignites while charging is usually a defective-product case against whoever designed, made, imported, or sold it. In Illinois you generally have two years from the injury to file (735 ILCS 5/13-202), and a product claim carries a second deadline tied to how old the board is.
How Hoverboard Accidents Happen
A hoverboard has no handlebar and no brake. The rider shifts weight over two independently driven wheels, and the board responds faster than most first-time riders expect. The other major hazard is electrical: the lithium-ion battery pack can go into thermal runaway, venting smoke and flame in seconds.
- Falls while learning, turning too sharply, or stepping on and off
- Sudden acceleration, unexpected reverse, or a board that cuts out mid-ride
- Battery fires during charging, often overnight and unattended
- Fires triggered by a dropped or impact-damaged battery pack
- Collisions with cars, cyclists, or pedestrians when the board is ridden on streets and sidewalks
- Falls on stairs, wet floors, or uneven pavement where the board loses traction
Federal regulators have tracked the fire risk for a decade. In its hoverboard safety alert, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it was aware of more than 500 reported hoverboard fires and overheating incidents, plus reports of burn injuries, smoke inhalation, and millions of dollars in property damage. The same alert describes a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania fire that started from a hoverboard and killed two children, ages 8 and 10. In a December 2022 industry letter, CPSC counted at least 208 micromobility fire or overheating incidents across 39 states from January 2021 through November 2022, with at least 19 deaths, 11 tied to hoverboards.
Fall injuries are far more common than fires. CPSC’s micromobility injury analysis put hoverboard emergency-department visits at roughly 17,100 in 2022, down about 26% from the year before. Volume fell as the 2015 gift-season boom faded, but those boards are still in closets and still being charged.
Common Hoverboard Injuries
- Wrist, forearm, and ankle fractures from bracing during a fall
- Concussions and more serious traumatic brain injuries, especially without a helmet
- Spinal cord and neck injuries from backward falls
- Thermal burns to the hands, arms, and legs from a board that ignites
- Smoke inhalation and airway injury in a house fire
- Facial lacerations, dental damage, contusions
- Property loss when a charging board destroys a bedroom or a home
Battery Fires and the UL 2272 Safety Standard
UL 2272, formally ANSI/CAN/UL 2272, is the Standard for Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices. It was written specifically to reduce the fire risk in hoverboards and similar devices, and it covers the whole unit, not just the battery or the charger. CPSC’s position is that hoverboards should comply with UL 2272, while cautioning that “UL 2272 certification does not guarantee that a hoverboard is safe or will not catch fire.”
Compliance shows up as a certification mark for self-balancing scooters or personal e-mobility on both the packaging and the product, issued by an accredited third-party lab. Two details matter when reviewing a claim. CPSC states that any board manufactured before December 15, 2015 is not UL 2272 compliant. And a listing advertising “UL-certified batteries” or a “UL charger” is not claiming UL 2272 certification of the board itself.
CPSC has warned manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers that micromobility devices failing the applicable UL standards could present a substantial product hazard under Section 15(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, and that non-compliance may draw enforcement action. In a civil case, a missing or falsified UL 2272 certification is often the clearest evidence the board was defective.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Hoverboard Accident
Most hoverboard fire cases are product liability claims. Illinois recognizes three theories of defect. A battery pack with no working thermal cutoff is a design defect. A cell assembled wrong on one production run is a manufacturing defect. A board sold with no warning about unattended charging is a failure to warn.
Potential defendants run the length of the distribution chain: the manufacturer, the importer of record, the distributor, the store or marketplace seller. Illinois does give non-manufacturers a way out. Under 735 ILCS 5/2-621, a retailer or distributor that certifies the correct identity of the manufacturer is generally dismissed from the strict-liability claim once the manufacturer has been sued and has answered. That protection has limits. The seller stays in if it exercised significant control over the design or manufacture, had actual knowledge of the defect, or created it. A dismissed seller can also be brought back when the manufacturer cannot be served, no longer exists, or cannot satisfy a judgment, which is common with offshore hoverboard brands.
Not every hoverboard case is a product case. A driver who strikes a rider, a property owner who created a hazard, or an adult who handed a board to a small child can all be liable in ordinary negligence. Illinois applies modified comparative fault: damages drop in proportion to the injured person’s share of fault, and recovery is barred entirely above 50% (735 ILCS 5/2-1116).
Illinois Deadlines for a Hoverboard Injury Claim
- Two years from the injury for a personal-injury claim (735 ILCS 5/13-202)
- Two years after a minor turns 18, for injuries suffered as a child (735 ILCS 5/13-211)
- Two years after the death for a wrongful-death claim, brought by the estate’s personal representative (740 ILCS 180/2)
- A separate product-liability repose period: 12 years from the first sale by a seller, or 10 years from first delivery to the initial user, whichever expires earlier (735 ILCS 5/13-213)
That last one is the trap. A board bought in the 2015 or 2016 holiday rush may already be outside the repose window even though the fire happened last month, so an older board means the timeline needs review early.
What to Do After a Hoverboard Fire or Fall
- Get medical care and follow through on the treatment plan
- Keep the board, the battery, and the charger, however badly burned, and never return them to the seller
- Save the box, receipt, order confirmation, and screenshots of the product listing
- Photograph the board, the burn pattern, the outlet, and any property damage
- Ask the fire department for a copy of its report
- Check CPSC recalls for the brand and model, and report the incident at SaferProducts.gov
- Notify homeowners or renters insurance about property loss
Going forward, CPSC advises charging only with the charger supplied with the board, only while someone is there to watch it, away from flammable items, with working smoke alarms on every level of the home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you sue a hoverboard manufacturer if the board caught fire?
Yes, in many cases. A board that ignites during normal charging or riding points to a design defect, a manufacturing defect, or inadequate warnings, all of which support an Illinois product-liability claim against the manufacturer and often the importer or seller as well. Preserving the burned board and the charger matters, because those are the physical evidence an expert examines.
How long do I have to file a hoverboard injury claim in Illinois?
Generally two years from the date of the injury (735 ILCS 5/13-202). A child’s claim can be brought within two years after turning 18 (735 ILCS 5/13-211). Product claims face an additional cutoff of 12 years from the first sale or 10 years from delivery to the first user, whichever comes first (735 ILCS 5/13-213).
What if the hoverboard came from an overseas online seller?
An unreachable foreign manufacturer does not necessarily end the case. Illinois lets a plaintiff seek reinstatement of a previously dismissed distributor or retailer when the manufacturer cannot be served, no longer exists, or cannot satisfy a judgment (735 ILCS 5/2-621). Identifying every U.S. link in the chain early is what keeps that option open.
Does a UL 2272 mark mean the hoverboard is safe?
It means the whole unit was certified to the personal e-mobility electrical standard by an accredited lab, which meaningfully lowers the fire risk. CPSC still warns that UL 2272 certification does not guarantee a hoverboard is safe or will not catch fire. Claims about UL-listed batteries or chargers are not the same thing as UL 2272 certification of the board.
Can a parent file a claim for a child hurt on a hoverboard?
Yes. A parent or guardian can pursue a claim on a minor’s behalf, and the child’s own deadline is extended until two years after the eighteenth birthday (735 ILCS 5/13-211). Comparative fault can be raised against an older child, so how the injury happened is worth documenting carefully.
How many hoverboard injuries happen each year?
CPSC’s micromobility injury analysis estimated about 17,100 emergency-department-treated hoverboard injuries in 2022, roughly 26% fewer than in 2021. Separately, CPSC counted at least 208 micromobility fire or overheating incidents between January 2021 and November 2022, with 11 of the 19 associated deaths involving hoverboards.
Talk to an Illinois Hoverboard Injury Attorney
Hoverboard cases turn on evidence that disappears fast: the board itself, the charger, the listing it was bought from, the fire report. The attorneys at 844-SEE-MIKE handle Illinois product-liability and serious-injury claims on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. If you or your child was hurt in a fall or a battery fire, Contact 844-SEE-MIKE for a free, no-pressure review of what happened.
The above is general information about Illinois law, not legal advice about your situation.
