Rad Power Bikes Lawsuit Alleges E-Bike Front Wheel Detached, Causing Severe Injuries

Lawsuit claims Rad Power Bikes failed to incorporate safer alternative designs that could have prevented the e-bike’s front wheel from detaching under the weight of a rider.

A California man has filed a lawsuit against Rad Power Bikes and a bicycle repair shop, alleging he suffered severe bone fractures requiring multiple surgeries after the front wheel of his electric bike detached, throwing him violently to the ground.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Anatoli Ratsa in California Superior Court on October 9, naming Isla Vista Bicycle Boutique, Rad Power Bikes Inc., Life Electric Vehicles Holdings Inc. and Rad Life Mobility Inc. as defendants.

Ratsa maintains the wheel separation was the direct result of a product defect caused by Rad Power Bikes’ design problems, as well as negligence on the part of the bicycle shop that repaired the e-bike.

E-Bike Risks

Electric bicycles have become increasingly popular in recent years, using battery-powered motors to assist riders while pedaling or, in some models, propel the bikes using a throttle. However, the growing use of e-bikes has also been accompanied by product liability lawsuits against manufacturers and retailers over alleged defects that have caused serious injuries.

In August, a lawsuit was filed against Ridstar and other defendants alleging a child suffered severe injuries when the front wheel detached from a Ridstar e-bike. The complaint claims the sudden failure threw the child violently to the ground, resulting in permanent disfigurement and disability.

Rad Power Bikes has also faced lawsuits involving alleged battery defects. Earlier this year, an Alabama woman filed a complaint claiming a faulty Rad Power e-bike battery sparked a house fire that killed her husband and left her with severe burn injuries.

Rad Power E-Bike Injury Allegations

According to the complaint, Ratsa acquired the Rad Power e-bike in January 2026, and used it as a primary means of transportation before he began experiencing problems with the brake performance.

Ratsa took his e-bike to Isla Vista Bicycle Boutique on June 11, where the owner determined that the front brake rotor needed to be replaced, performed the repair and returned the bike to him.

On June 14, Ratsa was approaching a stop sign and applying the brakes when the bike’s front wheel allegedly detached from the fork, causing the bike to collapse forward and violently throwing him onto the pavement.

The lawsuit indicates Ratsa suffered severe and permanent injuries in the accident, including a displaced fracture of his right elbow that required surgery and the placement of surgical hardware. He also sustained severe contusions to his right hip and lower back, a head injury, multiple abrasions, lacerations and permanent scarring. Ratsa is expected to require additional surgeries and faces permanent limitations in the range of motion and function of his dominant arm.

According to the lawsuit, an investigation of the e-bike found that the quick-release lever securing the front wheel was in the fully closed position, suggesting the wheel detached because of a design defect rather than an improperly secured lever.

Ratsa alleges Rad Power Bikes knew or should have known about the defect but failed to correct it or warn consumers that the front wheel could detach while riding.

The complaint further claims the e-bike’s design was inadequate to keep the front wheel securely attached under the weight of a rider, despite the availability of safer alternative designs that Rad Power Bikes allegedly failed to incorporate.

The lawsuit also alleges the bike repair shop was negligent in failing to properly install the quick release skewer assembly when it reinstalled the wheel after replacing the brake. As a result, the filing claims the bike shop was negligent for failing to test and inspect the bike operation before returning it to Ratsa.

“The gravity of the danger posed by the design is extreme, the likelihood that such danger would occur is substantial, safer alternative designs — including a through-axle retention system, an adequate and properly dimensioned secondary retention device, and dropout geometry resistant to disc-brake-induced ejection — were mechanically and economically feasible at the time of manufacture, and the cost and adverse consequences of adopting such alternative designs were minimal.”

— Anatoli Ratsa v. Rad Power Bikes Inc. et al.

Ratsa raises allegations of negligence, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn and negligence. He seeks compensation for physical pain, suffering, disfigurement, physical impairment, inconvenience, anxiety, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life, as well as medical, surgical, hospital, diagnostic, rehabilitative and related expenses, loss of earnings and loss of future earning capacity.

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