By TNHUNTING.COM
TnHunting.Com Staff

Headed to the lake this weekend? You might want to reconsider using a tube kite, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

In the wake of numerous accidents this summer involving the new tube kites, which are designed to lift the tube and its passenger into the air as much as 30 feet as the tube is towed behind boats traveling at speeds between 25 and 35 miles per hour, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an alert advising extreme care in the use of the tube kites. The TWRA decided to cooperate with the CPSC by issuing a statewide alert to Tennessee boaters.

"To date, there have been at least 33 accidents nationwide and three fatalities where the riders have either fallen or been thrown off tube kite-type devices," TWRA Chief of Boating Ed Carter said. "A plunge of 15 or more feet while the boat is moving at 30 miles per hour can cause severe injury or even death."

Injuries reported so far, according to TWRA, include concussion, lung and heart trauma, ruptured ear drum, lacerated liver, bleeding spleen, cracked vertebrae, collapsed lungs, punctured lungs, broken ribs, broken arms and broken legs.

The CPSC released its warning on June 30, and the TWR issued its alert on Wednesday. In the CPSC alert, the commission noted that possible reasons for incidents and injuries include a rider's difficulty in controlling the tube, boat operator inexperience, and how the tube reacts in certain weather conditions. Conditions of highest concern to the CPSC are wind gusts that can cause the tube to spin out of control, or sudden stopping or slowing by the boat operator. According to the CPSC, slowing can cause the tube to nose dive and hit the water or allow the tube rider to continue past the top of the boat and hit either the towing craft, another watercraft, or other objects, such as a bridge.

"We want to help the Consumer Product Safety Commission alert Tennessee water recreation enthusiasts to the danger of falling into the water at dangerous heights from one of these water toys," Carter said. "Just because you're coming down into the water, doesn't necessarily make for a soft, cushy landing; especially when you can be going 30 miles an hour face first."

Yesterday, Nebraska-based tube kite manufacturer Sportsstuff, Inc. announced that it is cooperating with the CPSC by voluntarily recalling about 19,000 of its Wego Kite Tubes.

According to a press release issued by Sportsstuff, CPSC staff is aware of 39 injury accidents nationwide, with 29 resulting in medical treatment. Sportsstuff said that it has received reports of two deaths in the United States, but that it has been unable to determine the cause of the incidents. The press release stated that the company will withdraw its kite tube from the market and "is undertaking this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution."

The Wego Kite Tube is a 10-foot-wide circular, inflatable tube that was sold from October 1, 2005, through July 11, 2006. The cost of the tube was between $500 and $600.

Sportsstuff has requested that consumers discontinue using its kite tubes immediately and contact Sportsstuff at 866-831-5524 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT Monday through Friday to learn how to obtain free replacement products.

Email the author | Discuss it on our forums | More fishing news