Are Hoverboards Real? Amazon Sued For Selling Dangerous Toy

Amazon is facing a $30 million negligence lawsuit for selling a hoverboard toy that caused a fire which destroyed a $1 million-worth home in Nashville. The Fox family that owned the home is reportedly claiming the retail giant knowingly sold the product deemed dangerous.

In the incident that took place Jan. 9, Nashville Fire Department officials said a hoverboard caught fire and destroyed a 4,000-square-foot home on Radcliff Drive, near Edwin Warner Park. The two-wheeled toys, which are now largely known for mechanical issues like overheating and causing explosions, have since been banned from sale due to safety concerns.

"The Foxes contend that Amazon and its various subsidiaries had information about the danger of this product well in advance of the Jan. 9 fire, and on top of that, they had notice, they should have known the product was being misrepresented on their website," Steve Anderson, of the Nashville law firm Anderson & Reynolds PLC which is representing the six-member Fox family, said.

"The most horrific thing was obviously the episode that day and trying to rescue these two teenagers, and the profound impact on them," Anderson reportedly said. "It's also important to consider that literally in a matter of few minutes every single personal possession of this entire family was destroyed. The only things that remained were their vehicles and handful of books and pictures they were able to find that had water damage they were able to dry out. In the blink of an eye it was all gone."

According to the lawsuit, Brian Fox rescued two of his children from the second floor of the burning home, and is now demanding compensation for physical injuries.

The lawsuit, which names 10 defendants, including Amazon and retailers on the website selling similar products, said "W-Deals," the seller of the hoverboard listed online, is a sham organization and the family received a counterfeit product from China instead of a brand with a Samsung lithium-ion battery.