Kiteboard Injury Lawsuit

Kitesurfing is a high-risk sport and when injuries occur, they are often devastating. In recent years, thousands of kiteboards were recalled for dangerous equipment defects.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting kiteboard induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured in a kitesurfing accident, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Personal Injury Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Overview of Kitesurfing Injuries

Kiteboarding is an extreme sport with a high risk of injury. Kitesurfers travel at speeds up to 35 knots over the water, with a vertical lift up to 15 meters and 30 meters long, as they perform athletic maneuvers. High speed, one foot slipping out of the strap, a gust of wind in the middle of a jump, hard landing, or equipment problems can all cause injuries. The risk can be reduced with training, but not eliminated.

Cabrinha Recalls 2017 Control Systems

May 17, 2017 — Cabrinha has recalled 1X Kiteboard Control Systems after 6 reports of a metal Power Bracket Seat (PBS) breaking. No injuries were reported, but it could cause loss of kite control, detachment of the kite from the riders, injuries, or stranding. According to Cabrinha:

“There is a possibility of line failure leading to loss of rider control and/or separation of rider from kite after safety activation. Under some circumstances this could lead to injuries or rider stranding.”

Kite-Surfer Dies of Fall Injuries in High Winds

In 2010, a 28 year-old kitesurfer died when a strong wind pulled him onto a beach in France. He hit three rooftops, separated from his harness, and fell 50 feet to the ground.

What is the Risk?

Non-competitive kitesurfing has an overall risk of 5.9-7.0 injuries per 1,000 kitesurfing hours. The risk doubles during competitions. About 80% of injuries occurred on the water, either as a result of collision into obstacles or other riders, hard landings, waves, misinterpretation of wind conditions, or loss of kite control. The rest occurred as a result of incorrect kite line installation or kite launch.

Most Injuries Caused by Bad Landings

Kitesurfing injuries used to be primarily due to an inability to detach the kite from the harness in a situation involving loss of control over the kite. Technical innovations have reduced this risk. Today, most riders use quick-release systems to detach or de-power the kite. As a result, most kiteboarding injuries are due to unsuccessful tricks or jumps with bad landings.

Types of Kiteboard Injuries

Back injuries
Bone or skull fracture
Burst ear drum
Collision with boats, beach, rocks, obstacles, other riders
Crashes into the water
Cuts, bruises, scrapes
Death
Defective equipment
Drowning
Epicondylosis
Fin cuts from board
Hand or finger injuries from lines or falling
Hard landing
Head injury from board
Impact injuries
Launch injuries
Lacerations
Line cuts
Loss of kite control
Overuse injuries (“Tennis Elbow”)
Paralysis
Shoulder dislocation
Spinal cord injuries
Sprained ankle from digging board into water
Sunburn
Tendonitis
Traumatic brain injury
Whiplash

Knee & Foot Kiteboard Injuries

The most common areas to be injured in a kitesurfing accident are the foot or ankle (28%) or knee (12%). These injuries usually occur when the board twists under the rider as a result of a wave, landing, or fall, or being thrown off the board while one foot gets caught in the straps.

Head & Neck Kiteboard Injuries

The head (18%) was the next most common area to be injured, often as a result of not wearing a helmet and being hit in the head with the board. Neck injuries can include whiplash and muscle strains. Impact injuries to the hear can cause unconsciousness, dizziness, double-vision, lacerations, internal bleeding, and other serious problems.

Most Common Kiteboarding Injuries

A study by Christoph Nickel over a 6-month period listed the most common type of kitesurfing injuries:

Contusion (33.8%)
Abrasion (27.4%)
Laceration (16.9%)
Joint sprain (9.7%)
Bone fracture (3.2%)
ACL rupture (0.8%)
PCL rupture (0.8%)
Other (6.5%)

Do I have a Kiteboard Injury Lawsuit?

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