The family of a man who tragically died in a freak accident involving a Peloton bike is now suing the fitness company.
In January 2022, Ryan Furtado, a 32-year-old customer success manager, was doing a core workout on the bike when he decided to get off the equipment and continue the exercises on the floor, as reported by PEOPLE.
In the lawsuit, Ryan's mother, Johanna Furtado, claimed that once her son was done with the workout, the bike "spun around," striking him on his face and neck, and "severing a carotid artery in his neck" which killed him "instantly".
She also contended that when the New York Police Department found him in his apartment with the bike - which was bought by her son in July 2021 - it was still resting on his neck and face.
Johanna alleged that there was only a single warning label on the bike's front leg that stated it could cause serious harm if used to "pull oneself up from the floor during a workout," adding that Peloton should have been alerted against the "foreseeable misuse".
The filing also notes that the company advises riders to "use the Bike for stretching," but that "applying pressure on the Bike in a pulling and pushing fashion, caus[es] the Bike to destabilize and fall".
Furthermore, Ryan's mom said the bikes are "defective and/or unreasonably dangerous," and that the company "failed" to warn that its bikes could tip over "when used as a brace to rise or go down."
"As a direct and proximate result of the foregoing conduct of Peloton, Ryan was killed," the suit states.
The lawsuit was filed earlier this year in March in the Brooklyn Civil Supreme Court.
In response, a Peloton spokesperson shared a statement with PEOPLE that read: "We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Furtado family for this unfortunate accident. As a Member-first company, the health and safety of our Member community is a top priority."
The company also filed a response to the lawsuit in June which disavowed the allegations. They declared that Ryan's "alleged injuries or damages" were "caused or contributed to" by his own "negligence" - which meant that the company was not "legally responsible" for his death.
Peloton also added: "No action or inaction by Peloton was the proximate cause of plaintiff’s or plaintiff’s decedent’s alleged injuries or damages."
