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Families of girls killed in fire sue hoverboard distributors

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FILE – In this March 10, 2017, file photo, firefighters battle a blaze that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission later determined was sparked by a recharging hoverboard at a home in Harrisburg, Pa. Two girls injured in the fire later died, 2-year-old Ashanti Hughes and 10-year-old Savannah Dominick, and their families filed a lawsuit in June 2018 against the distributors of the device, LayZ Board. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Family members are suing the distributors of a hoverboard that burst into flames, causing a Pennsylvania house fire that killed two young girls.

The lawsuit filed last month comes a little more than a year after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a LayZ Board sparked the fire that killed 2-year-old Ashanti Hughes and 10-year-old Savannah Dominick at their Harrisburg home in March 2017.

The lawsuit says that the importers and distributors of the hoverboard were negligent for continuing to market the device even though it posed a risk of overheating and igniting. The commission concluded a hoverboard caused the fire by exploding while it was being charged.

It also names the landlords of the home, saying it lacked working smoke detectors.

Phone numbers for the owner of LayZ Board rang unanswered Friday. Messages seeking comment from the distributor weren’t returned.

The families are seeking more than $500,000 in damages.

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Abbey Westbury

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