The parents of a 12-year-old boy from Texas filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that their son was left with hearing damage after the boy's Apple Airpods blasted a loud Amber Alert in his ears.
The suit demands damages for the emotional stress that the incident caused. It also includes punitive damages that the family hope would encourage giant tech companies to be more cautious of their products in the future, Futurism reports.
Ruptured eardrums
In the lawsuit, parents from San Antonio, Texas, Ariani Reyes and Carlos Gordoa, claimed that the company did not give them an adequate warning about the risks. The family also said the boy set the volume to "low" while watching Netflix from a connected iPhone.
The eardrum of the boy was "ripped open" when the Amber Alert sounded through his Airpods. Since then, the boy has suffered hearing loss, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, and tinnitus. He also needed hearing aids, the family claims.
Ariana Reyes, the boy's mom, said that the boy loved his hearing, and the incident affected him as an athlete and a student. The young boy was identified as BP in the lawsuit, although there were pictures of him receiving treatment.
The parents said that the boy had a promising future as a soccer player and was performing well in his soccer journey. After the incident, the boy now suffers ringing in the ears that impacts his performance.
The mom also told Daily Mail that they were unfortunate and frustrated. They also admit to being "a little bit angry" because he was just a regular healthy, athletic boy, and the incident changed his life due to the incident.
In their lawsuit, the family also stated that the damage in the hearing is a direct and proximate result of Apple's negligence in designing, manufacturing, and marketing the defective Airpods.
The family claims that the impairment lost his ability to live everyday life. The boy will continue to live a "diminished life into the future, including a diminished earning capacity," they add.
The new lawsuit also seeks damages for the boy and his parents, who allegedly went through immense emotional stress from the situation.
Amber Alert
Amber Alert is an emergency notification that alerts readers about local missing children. It emits high-pitched screeches to get the attention of phone users.
The parents pointed out that the company knew that their device had problems, referring to its online user forum complaints.
In 2019, a certain Tarafromprovidence wrote that when a notification comes through, she wants to rip her AirPods out as it is so loud. She noted that the sound startles her, making her "jump out of my skin."
Since then, Apple users have lodged more than 1,500 similar complaints on the Apple forum, the lawsuit cites.
As per WCCFTech.com, Apple users have the option to turn off Amber Alerts for Airpods in the
Settings > Notifications > Toggle off the Amber Alert option.
