ROGUE WHEELCHAIR

Description of Event or Problem

DEVICE IN QUESTION: KIMOBILITY ROGUE WHEELCHAIR ISSUE: SUDDEN RELEASE OF BACKREST, CAUSING LOSS OF BALANCE, AND FALLS. NARRATIVE: ON TWO OCCASIONS (ON OR ABOUT (B)(6) 2014), AND (B)(6) 2015 THE KIMOBILITY ROGUE HAS HAD A SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED RELEASE OF THE BACKREST. TO BE CLEAR, I AM NOT REFERRING TO AN AFTER MARKET BACKREST, RATHER THE CONNECTION OF THE CANES TO THE FRAME. WHEN THE BACKREST SUDDENLY RELEASED, IT CAUSED MY WEIGHT TO SHIFT BACKWARDS WITHOUT WARNING, AND THE CHAIR (ALONG WITH ME IN IT) TIPPED OVER BACKWARDS. ON THE LAST OCCASION THAT THIS HAPPENED, IT CAUSED ME TO HIT MY HEAD AGAINST THE CONCRETE PAVEMENT THAT I WAS ON. THE SITUATION WAS EXACERBATED BY THE FACT THAT I WAS CLIMBING A SLIGHT GRADE IN THE SIDEWALK. ASIDE FROM THE TWO FALLS, I HAVE ALSO HAD NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS WHERE I MANAGED TO CORRECT/CATCH MYSELF BEFORE FALLING. THERE ARE TWO KNOWN CAUSES TO THE PROBLEM. FIRST, USER OF AFTERMARKET CUSHIONS (E.G. (B)(6)) WILL HAVE THE CUSHION SHIFT BACKWARDS IN THE SEAT SLING. AS THAT SHIFTING HAPPENS, THE CUSHION COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE BACKREST RELEASE WIRE WHICH THEN CAUSES THE SUDDEN RELEASE. SECOND, THROUGH REGULAR USE, THE HINGES THAT CONNECT THE CANES TO THE FRAME WILL LOOSEN. BECAUSE OF THE LOOSENING A GAP IS FORMED IN THE FRAME AND IT THEN TRIPS THE BACKREST RELEASE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THE MFR, AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. ALSO, TECHNICIANS THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO AT MY DME PROVIDER ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT SOMEONE WILL TAKE A SERIOUS FALL AND SUFFER A SEROUS INJURY.