Claims that WaveCel helmet is “up to” 48 times more effective than its competitors is “false, deceptive and misleading,” lawsuit claims.
Trek Bicycle is being sued for $5 million by a New York man who says the company is making misleading claims that its Bontrager WaveCel helmets are safer than other brands.
Andrew Glancey of Staatsburg, New York, is the lead plaintiff in a class-action suit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit charges that the WaveCel helmet technology was “touted by the defendant as the most significant advancement in cycling in the last 30 years when it was released in early 2019.”
While standard foam helmets protect the head against direct impacts, the suit says Trek markets WaveCel as “revolutionary” technology is effective at preventing concussions caused by cycling accidents. It says Trek’s claim that WaveCel is “up to” 48 times more effective in providing head injury protection than its competitors is “false, deceptive and misleading.”
The authors of Trek’s helmet study claiming WaveCel technology is safer have a financial interest, according to the suit, which claims those helmets are only marginally better than less-expensive helmets. It also claims the study did not use the Trek-made Bontrager WaveCel helmet; instead, it used a Scott ARX helmet modified to include the WaveCel component.
“Trek believes in and stands behind our Bontrager WaveCel helmets,” a Trek spokesman told BRAIN on Friday afternoon. “This lawsuit is without merit, and we will vigorously defend against it. The plaintiff has not made an allegation of physical injury. Trek will continue to responsibly promote and improve this innovation in helmet technology.”
Originally published at Velo News