4 years later: Goalsetter recalls basketball hoop that fell on, killed Granger teen

GRANGER, Ind. (WNDU) - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered a recall of a wall-mounted basketball backboard more than four years after one fell on and killed a Granger teenager.

14-year-old Nolan Gerwels died after the “Goalsetter” backboard collapsed on him in his family’s home in June of 2018. His family is currently suing Goalsetter, accusing the company of not supplying the necessary instructions and hardware to mount the backboard, which weighed 260 lbs.

Read the lawsuit statements here.

Dick’s Sporting Goods and two local contractors are also named in the lawsuit.

The CPSC issued the recall on Thursday for 18,000 units, in which they said the blackboard posed a serious impact injury, hazard, and risk of death. It cites four incidents of the backboard detaching from a wall, including the death of Gerwels.

The recalled wall-mounted hoop from Goalsetter. — The recalled wall-mounted hoop from Goalsetter.(Consumer Product Safety Commission Website)

The Gerwels family issued a statement after the announcement of the recall:

Over four years ago, the family of Nolan Gerwels filed a lawsuit to hold accountable all those responsible for Nolan’s death on June 22, 2018, and the suffering inflicted upon the Gerwels family. In doing so, the Gerwels family sought to ensure that their nightmare NEVER happens to another family. Today, a first step in the Gerwels’ quest to obtain justice was achieved as the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission announced a recall of Goalsetter’s Wall-Mounted Basketball Goals, which was the product that detached from a wall and killed Nolan. Unfortunately, Goalsetter waited over four years (and after another tragic incident had occurred) to recognize the danger posed by the Goalsetter Wall-Mounted Basketball Goals. While this product recall refutes some of the initial news accounts that had erroneously reported that Nolan died because of a “freak accident,” it does not end the Gerwels family’s fight to seek accountability and justice from Goalsetter and the other Defendants for the reckless, willful, and wanton misconduct that killed Nolan and brought unimaginable suffering to the Gerwels family.
Statement of Gerwels Family

The expected court date for the lawsuit against Goalsetter, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and the two local contractors is set for October 2023.

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