Molly Steinsapir case: Parents sue e-bike manufacturer Rad Power Bikes for 12-year-old daughter's death
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Molly Steinsapir's parents said they want to see change after the death of their 12-year-old daughter last year, in 2021, following an e-bike accident. Her parents have filed a lawsuit against the Seattle-based manufacturer of the defective e-bike, Rad Power Bikes, demanding justice for their daughter's death.
On January 31, 2021, Molly and her closest friend were riding a RadRunner bike, with Molly seated on the back, according to the complaint, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior County Court. The bike "began to shake and wobble, causing the bike to crash" while the two were riding it down a steep slope. Molly was wearing a helmet while riding the e-bike, according to her parents. The maker of the helmet Molly was wearing, Giro Sport Design, is also named in the lawsuit.
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"I massaged her hands and her feet and sang to her and read to her," stated her mother Kaye. After more than two weeks in the hospital and many procedures, Molly passed away on February 15, 2021, with her parents by her side.
According to ABC NEWS, "Team Molly" became popular after Kaye started tweeting about Molly's struggle to survive. She said, "I read the book that her class was reading because I didn't want her to be behind when she woke up."
Please. Please. Please. Everyone PRAY for my daughter Molly. She has been in an accident and suffered a brain trauma. She’s unconscious in ICU. Please RT and PRAY 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/FqxQMiGeE8
— Kaye (@KayeSteinsapir) January 31, 2021
Rad Power Bikes "knew or should have known that this was an unsafe and defective design," the family asserted in their complaint. The RadRunner bicycle that Molly was riding, according to the Steinsapirs' lawsuit, had "multiple design defects," including a problem with the brakes and front wheel that "in some cases can cause the wheel to come all the way off."
In the Steinsapir family's first on-air discussion of the case, Molly's father Jonathan said, "Rad Power Bikes was aware of this issue or had been made aware of this issue, and they never redesigned their bike." He also stated that their family firmly belived that the accident was "preventable". The Steinsapirs claimed they were bringing up the case to spare another family from such a predicament.
The RadRunner model from Rad Power Bikes can go at speeds of up to 20 mph, the lawsuit claims. In a statement to ABC news, Rad Power Bikes said that it extends its deepest condolences to the Steinsapir family while declining to comment on ongoing legal matters.
