Customer sues Amazon after suffering serious injury while using popular product: 'Complete disregard for the safety of its subscribers'
The megacorporation Amazon has had its fair share of controversies, but a lawsuit over an e-bike incident is bringing attention to issues about the company's accountability.
What's happening?
According to Electrek, California man Robert Lewis purchased an e-bike on Amazon and suffered a disastrous injury, leaving him paraplegic.
"The e-bikes distributed through and sold by Amazon.com are the latest example of Amazon seeking to profit off of a new consumer product space with complete disregard for the safety of its subscribers," the lawsuit reads, per Electrek.
The lawsuit compares e-bike sales to the hoverboard craze. It suggests Amazon inundates its site with trending products, allegedly doing so without always making proper safety assessments.
"Lewis's legal team … is seeking damages for medical costs, lost wages, and punitive damages, pointing to what they describe as a pattern of neglect by Amazon…" Electrek reported.
Why is the lawsuit important?
Lewis is suing both Amazon and the company that made the bike. He fell from the bike in December 2024 when the handlebars gave out due to the locking system failing. He officially filed the suit in June 2025.
This incident of carelessness by a massive company is not unheard of. Amazon has faced backlash for countless other problems, including the company's major contribution to pollution — amounting to more than that of some countries.
While it has taken a few visible steps to reroute its path towards sustainability, such as implementing electric delivery vans and getting rid of most of its plastic packaging pillows, it has still been accused of greenwashing — or using supposedly eco-friendly practices to boost business but not actually helping the environment at all.
Not only is this incident a tragedy for Lewis, but it is also a stumbling block for the eco-friendly movement, as consumers are more likely to be wary of e-bikes because of safety concerns and fears about faulty products.
This incident could deter people from purchasing from even reputable sellers, setting back the transition to electric vehicles.
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What's being done about faulty products?
The hope is that suits like Lewis's bring attention to a bigger issue and help hold the company accountable.
While Amazon has previously avoided similar suits, claiming to be a sales platform separate from the sellers themselves, some individuals have had success in instances of defective items or injury, as Habig Injury Law reported.
To avoid the fleeting trends associated with Amazon, you can try thrift shopping — buying used items at low prices without contributing to the massive production pollution of mega companies.
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