Recall: Portable Basketball Hoops Recalled by Huffy Sports Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2002 Release # 02-247

Huffy's Recall Hotline: (800) 558-5234 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: Kim Dulic, (301) 504-7058

CPSC, Huffy Sports Company Announce Recall to Repair Portable Basketball Hoops

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As children and adults perfect their lay-ups in driveway basketball courts across the country, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announces another recall of portable basketball hoops. In cooperation with the CPSC, Huffy Sports Company, of Sussex, Wis., is recalling about 70,000 portable basketball systems. The basketball hoops can have a sharp protruding bolt on the player's side of the pole that can cause serious leg or body lacerations to consumers. Basketball players can be cut when they collide with the pole as they drive toward the basket or when they fall or are pushed into the pole.

CPSC and Huffy Sports have received 11 reports of injuries from protruding bolts that include scrapes and lacerations. Ten consumers required stitches for their injuries.

These are portable, vertically mounted Huffy-brand basketball systems that come unassembled with a plastic base that is weighted down by either sand or water that is added during assembly. The basketball poles are painted black and the Huffy brand name appears on the backboard, main pole, or plastic base. The protruding bolt on the player side of the pole is located about 20-inches from the ground.

Sporting good, department and toy stores sold the Huffy-brand portable basketball systems from November 2001 through May 2002 for between $100 and $200.

Consumers should examine their units immediately. If there is a protruding bolt in the area of play, contact Huffy Sports to receive free bolt covers. Consumers can contact Huffy Sports at (800) 558-5234 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST Monday through Friday.