A man from Iowa suffered third-degree burns on his wrist after his Fitbit Ionic watch burned him while he was sleeping.
Ethan Landers shared on Facebook horrifying photos of his wrist that had a square-shaped burn wound and warned the public about the potential danger they can face by wearing the popular fitness device.
He shared that he was sleeping on Wednesday night (23rd October) when he suddenly woke up to horrific pain on his wrist. He immediately realised that his Fitbit was burning up and frantically tried to get it off.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
Failing to remove it in the first few attempts, he jumped out of bed, turned the light on and asked his wife to help him unlatch the band from his wrist.
“It felt like it melted through my arm. There was smoke coming out of the Fitbit battery and our bedroom smelled like an electrical fire,” he said.
“We called a nurse to see if we should be seen, and she told us we needed to go to the ER since the wound was white and already blistering.”
He then rushed to the ER where doctors cleaned out his wound and took x-rays to ensure that there wasn’t any debris left in his arm.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
In his next appointment at a wound clinic, they concluded that he had a third-degree burn, which requires Ethan to get a skin graft.
“I do not have feeling in parts of my wrist due to nerve damage and I will have a large scar that will be with me the rest of my life,” he said.
“This was a traumatic experience and I hope no one else has to go through it. So, if you own a Fitbit, please reconsider using it.”
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
After the incident, Fitbit told Daily Mail that they are extremely concerned about Ethan’s complaint regarding his Fitbit Ionic watch, and said that the health and safety of their customers is their number one priority.
“Fitbit products are designed and produced in accordance with strict standards and undergo extensive internal and external testing to ensure the safety of our users,” they said.
“Based on our internal and independent third-party testing and analysis, we do not believe this type of injury could occur from normal use.”
Currently, the company says they are “committed to conducting a full investigation,” and has since tried to obtain Ethan’s watch to test it. However, he hasn’t agreed to hand it over yet.
“We want to assure our customers they can continue to enjoy their Fitbit products with confidence and see no reason for people to stop wearing their Fitbit Ionic or any other Fitbit device,” Fitbit said.
“We will share additional information as we are able.”
Also read: Man Shares How an Apple Watch Brought His Dad to the Hospital When He Had a Bad Fall
