Mom says her son Ryan Furtado was killed by Peloton bike in his $4,000-a-month New York City apartment
- Johanna Furtado, who says her son was 'killed instantly' when his Peloton bike fell on him and sliced an artery, is suing the company
- It's the latest woe for the brand that experienced incredible sales growth during the height of the coronavirus pandemic
- A Hawaiian native, Furtado's obituary in Maui Now described his life as 'flourishing'
A mother is suing home-exercise giant Peloton alleging that one of its exercise bikes fell on her son, slashing an artery, leaving him dead on the floor of his Brooklyn apartment.
According to a lawsuit filed in New York, Johanna Furtado says that her son Ryan was 'killed instantly' when his bike toppled on him when he was using it as part of an exercise program in January 2022, just a week before his 33rd birthday.
During his routine, as Furtado was getting up from the floor and using the equipment for leverage, the bike 'spun around and impacted him on his neck and face severing in his carotid artery in his neck killing him instantly.'
His body was eventually discovered by the NYPD, the bike was lying on his face when he was found.
Furtado's death is not the first involving a Peloton bike. In 2021, a 6-year-old was killed after being dragged by a treadmill, while a 3-year-old suffered a 'brain injury' during a similar incident. The model involved in those incidents, the Peloton Tread Plus, has since been discontinued.
![Ryan Furtado's mother, who says her son was 'killed instantly' when his Peloton bike fell on him and sliced an artery, is suing the company](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/12/75163037-12491289-image-a-1_1694085068211.jpg)
Ryan Furtado's mother, who says her son was 'killed instantly' when his Peloton bike fell on him and sliced an artery, is suing the company
![In the suit, Furtado is described as doing a 'Core' workout when the tragic accident occurred](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/12/75162965-12491289-image-a-19_1694086828923.jpg)
In the suit, Furtado is described as doing a 'Core' workout when the tragic accident occurred
![Furtado was working out here, at 86 Fleet Place in Downtown Brooklyn, when he was found dead](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/15/75165659-12491289-Furtado_was_working_out_here_at_86_Fleet_Place_in_Downtown_Brook-m-10_1694096662127.jpg)
Furtado was working out here, at 86 Fleet Place in Downtown Brooklyn, when he was found dead
It's been a dramatic fall from grace for the company that became a fitness darling for those working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last month, Peloton managed to beat sales expectations during its fiscal fourth quarter, but the exercise equipment maker reported a bigger loss than anticipated partly due to recall costs and a shift in consumer spending.
In the suit, Furtado is described as doing a 'Core' workout when the tragic accident occurred inside of his $4,000 apartment in the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City.
'The workout requires riders to disembark the bike to conduct exercises on the floor. Ryan disembarked the bike and conducted the floor exercises. When rising from those exercises, Ryan used the bike to assist him in getting up,' the suit reads.
The suit alleges that Peloton should have identified 'the foreseeable misuse that people would also use the Subject Bike to pull themselves up from the floor during a workout increasing an unknown risk of injury to the user, such as the case with Ryan.'
As part of the 'Core' workout, riders are asked to use the bike to aid stretching.
![Furtado's heartbreaking obituary published in Maui Now (he was native of the island) describes his life as 'flourishing' and calls his death 'sudden'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/12/75163051-12491289-image-a-3_1694085099284.jpg)
Furtado's heartbreaking obituary published in Maui Now (he was native of the island) describes his life as 'flourishing' and calls his death 'sudden'
![He was a graduate of the University of Redlands in California and had been living in Brooklyn at the time of his death](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/12/75163047-12491289-image-a-4_1694085103900.jpg)
He was a graduate of the University of Redlands in California and had been living in Brooklyn at the time of his death
![Peloton Co-Founder/CEO John Foley speaking during TechCrunch Disrupt in 2018](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/13/75164495-12491289-image-a-26_1694088719496.jpg)
Peloton Co-Founder/CEO John Foley speaking during TechCrunch Disrupt in 2018
![Current Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy pictured at the Sun Valley Conference in July 2022](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/13/75164507-12491289-image-a-27_1694088720902.jpg)
Current Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy pictured at the Sun Valley Conference in July 2022
Peloton bikes feature a warning on the front of the bike, but the lawsuit said that the disclaimer is not enough.
One section of the lawsuit says the company should have multiple warnings in order 'to adequately warn the user of injury that could occur if the Subject Bike is used to pull oneself up from the floor during a workout.'
In a response, Peloton blamed Furtado's death on his own 'negligence, intentional act and/or fault... Peloton is not legally responsible.'
Furtado's heartbreaking obituary published in Maui Now, he was native of the island, describes his life as 'flourishing' and calls his death 'sudden.'
He was a graduate of the University of Redlands in California and had been living in Brooklyn at the time of his death.
'In his life he loved his family, friends, traveling, music, baking, games and all things Star Wars. He loved the ocean and land alike and found adventures where he could. He left us far too soon and will be loved forever,' the tribute reads.
A GoFundMe page that was set up to help Furtado's family to pay for funeral costs raised close to $17,000.
That tribute calls him a 'beloved colleague, dear friend, shining star.'
'He was someone who made everyone feel welcome and special. Ryan was great at his job, and excelled at friendship - always there for his people, of whom there are many,' it continues.
![Earlier this year, the company sought to rebrand as a 'health company' rather than a exercise bike maker](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/12/75162963-12491289-image-a-5_1694085111202.jpg)
Earlier this year, the company sought to rebrand as a 'health company' rather than a exercise bike maker
![Peloton execs at the time of the company's IPO in September 2019](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/12/75162955-12491289-image-a-6_1694085113812.jpg)
Peloton execs at the time of the company's IPO in September 2019
![Mike Wagner, played by David Costabile, is seen in the Season 6 premiere of Showtime¿s Billions having a heart attack after riding a Peloton bike](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/14/53287215-12491289-Mike_Wagner_played_by_David_Costabile_is_seen_in_the_Season_6_pr-a-35_1694094864464.jpg)
Mike Wagner, played by David Costabile, is seen in the Season 6 premiere of Showtime’s Billions having a heart attack after riding a Peloton bike
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/14/53287195-12491289-image-a-36_1694094867106.jpg)
![The scene came a month after Chris Noth’s Mr. Big suffered the same fate in HBO’s Sex and the City sequel](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09/07/14/51572969-12491289-The_scene_comes_about_a_month_after_Chris_Noth_s_Mr_Big_suffered-a-37_1694094869147.jpg)
The scene came a month after Chris Noth’s Mr. Big suffered the same fate in HBO’s Sex and the City sequel
In January 2022, the same month that Furtado was killed, the Showtime hit Billions aired an episode in which character Mike Wagner, played by David Costabile, suffered a heart attack after a Peloton workout at home.
That came after Peloton was heavily featured in an episode of Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That in which Chris Noth's Mr. Big character suffered a fatal heart attack after a similar workout.
Noth and Peloton later poked fun at the death in an ad promoting the exercise bike brand.
In May, Peloton began to pivot from their original model in order to right the ship.
'We're shifting perceptions from in-home to everywhere, fitness enthusiasts to people at all levels, exclusivity to inclusivity across all Peloton members present and future,' Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland said in a written statement.
The company rolled out new pricing for tiered membership that ranges from $12.99 to $24 per month, and said that its app now offers the largest number of free classes since its launch in June 2018.
In October 2022, the company announced it was cutting about 500 jobs on top of the nearly 800 layoffs it made in August 2022. It also closed its North America distribution network and shift delivery work to third-party providers.
Peloton experienced incredible sales growth during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
The New York company’s share price multiplied by more than five times in 2020 amid lockdowns that made its pricey bikes and treadmills popular among customers who pay a monthly fee to participate in interactive workouts.
Sales began to slow in 2021 as vaccines allowed people to roam more freely from their homes, including visits to the gym.
In a letter to shareholders in August, President and CEO Barry McCarthy said that consumers have been shifting their spending to travel and experiences, but that the New York-based company is starting to see an uptick in hardware sales.
McCarthy also said that costs related to a seat post recall that was announced in May had substantially exceeded initial expectations.
'An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 of our 2.2 million impacted members elected to pause their monthly subscriptions in Q4 pending the receipt of a replacement seat post,' he added.
Peloton Interactive Inc. lost $241.8 million, or 68 cents per share, for the three months ended June 30. A year earlier, the company lost $1.26 billion, or $3.72 per share.
Wall Street was calling for a loss of 45 cents per share.
McCarthy cautioned on the upcoming quarters.
'We don't currently expect to remain free cash flow positive in the two upcoming quarters, mainly due to seasonality of our hardware sales, timing of inventory payments, marketing spend as we invest for growth and prepare for the holiday season, and one-time cash outlay for seat posts; but we do expect to achieve this objective once again in the second half of fiscal 2024,' he said.
In addition, Peloton plans to resume pre-sales of its Tread+ treadmill in the U.S. this holiday season. McCarthy said that the Consumer Product Safety Commission approved its design for a new rear guard for the product this past quarter. Peloton will start retrofitting existing Tread+ products later this year. It will install the rear guard for members that request one, which is 17,000 to date.
Looking ahead to the first quarter, Peloton foresees revenue in a range of $580 million to $600 million.
Most watched News videos
- Knife-wielding break-in suspect chases local after being confronted
- MPs in Commons react to plan to means test winter fuel payments
- Ukrainian sniper fires at two Russian soldiers with grenade launchers
- Moscow woman reports live: 'Where are we supposed to run to?'
- Hairbrush and women's clothes found in tunnel where hostages died
- Audi fails to stop after hitting a pensioner in Keighley, Yorkshire
- Moment 'drunk' Brit and his wife are hauled off Ryanair flight
- Germany implements temporary border controls to combat migration
- Tory MP Robert Jenrick dodges Tory leadership 'dirty tricks' query
- Princess Kate mirrors the late Queen driving in candid recovery video
- Cabinet minister blames Conservatives for lack of prison capacity
- Moment of 'Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack' on Moscow building