GRANGER, Ind. — Four years after a northern Indiana teen died, an Evansville company is recalling the basketball goal attributed to his death.
In June 2018, Nolan Gerwals was playing basketball with his little sister. That’s when a basketball rim, backboard, and support bracket detached from the wall and hit him.
Emergency crews responded to his home around 6 p.m. and transported him to Memorial Hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Northern Indiana news outlets report the teen’s death would prompt the family to seek a lawsuit against multiple organizations, including the manufacturer of the basketball goal. They claim the goal did not have enough safety equipment and warnings.
Now, four years later, the family is seeing some action taking place as a result of their son’s death. On Thursday, Goalsetter, the Evansville, Indiana company that manufactured the goal, announced it is recalling the product.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the company is recalling about 18,000 wall-mounted basketball goals because they can detach from the wall and fall to the ground posing a serious impact injury hazard and risk of death.
Other than Nolan’s death, the company said it is aware of three other incidents. This includes someone that sustained severe facial injuries and another person who sustained a fractured leg.
The recall involves all Goalsetter Adjustable and Fixed Wall Mount Series and GS Baseline Series 72-inch, 60-inch, 54-inch, and 48-inch wall-mounted goal systems. The basketball goals have a white Goalsetter logo, a white basketball to the left of the word “Goalsetter” is printed in the lower-left corner of the backboard.
-
Recalled Wall-Mounted Goalsetter GS Baseline Series 72-inch, 60-inch, and 54-inch goals (Photo// CPSC) -
Recalled Wall Mount Series Adjustable and Fixed Height Goalsetter 72-inch, 60-inch, and 54-inch goals (Photo// CPSC) -
Recalled Wall Mount Series Adjustable Height Goalsetter 48-inch goal (Photo// CPSC)
The recalled basketball goals were sold at SCHELLS stores and basketball equipment stores nationwide and online from November 1999 through June 2022.
Anyone with the recalled basketball goal should stop using it and contact Goalmaster. They can then either get a full refund and have Goalmaster remove it, or have it inspected and get a free installation of an additional safety bracket.
Anyone with questions can call Goalsetter toll-free at 855-951-7460 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or use the company’s online recall form.
