Payless Shoes has pulled a series of light-up shoes from their shelves after a Texas couple said their toddler’s “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” light-up shoes caught on fire and burned a hole inside their car.
The parents say their two-year-old son had kicked off his shoes and left them in the family vehicle on Friday night. When they went to the car on Saturday they found a hole in the floor, the backseat charred and the shoes scorched.
Photo of shoes found by family
While an official cause of the fire has not been determined, the family believes it was caused by the small lithium battery used in the shoes. The shoes are the kind that light up with each step. The lights inside the soles are powered by the same batteries used in hoverboards, which have been known to malfunction and burst into flames. Local fire officials are investigating the incident. The story has caught the attention of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Although Payless has pulled the shoes from their shelves, there has not been a product recall and not everyone will read about this incident. Please share this story and encourage parents of young children sporting these light-up shoes to take necessary precautions. Lawsuit Financial also encourages retailers to check inventories and remove light-up shoes from store shelves, at least until the investigation is complete.
The CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, go online to: SaferProducts.gov, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 for the hearing impaired.
Lawsuit Financial will be watching this story and bring our readers the latest updates.
Mark Bello is the CEO and General Counsel of Lawsuit Financial Corporation, a pro-justice lawsuit funding company.
