AUSTIN, Texas — In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), Sportsstuff, Inc., of Omaha, Nebraska, voluntarily
recalled about 19,000 Wego Kite Tubes July 13.
more kite tube injury news
More than three dozen injury accidents involving the use of kite
tubes have been reported nationwide. Those injuries include a broken
neck, punctured lung, chest and back injuries and facial injuries.
In Texas, four tube kiting accidents have been reported this year.
Three users were injured and one died. In all of the reported
accidents, the injuries occurred when users were violently slammed into
the water.
The Sportsstuff Wego Kite Tube is a 10-foot-wide, circular, yellow
inflatable watercraft designed to be towed behind a power boat. A rider
in the tube becomes airborne by pulling on handles attached to the
floor of the tube. Model 53-5000 is printed on the tube near the
product valve. The floor of the tube has black caution warning stripes.
The cover for the product bears a skull and crossbones and the
statement “Never Kite higher than you are willing to fall.” The tubes
were imported and sold through marine distributors, mail order
catalogs, and various retailers from approximately October 1, 2005, to
July 11, 2006, for about $500 to $600.
“The kite tubes appear to be designed only for professionals,” said
Game Warden Maj. Alfonso Campos, chief of marine safety enforcement at
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Even experienced water skiers
and boaters have expressed how dangerous they can be, and they are
definitely not for novice skiers or boaters.”
Campos urged boaters to comply with the Wego Kite Tube recall and to use extreme caution when using any similar products.
Consumers should immediately stop using the kite tubes and contact
Sportsstuff at (866) 831-5524 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST Monday
through Friday to learn how to obtain free replacement products.
