Exploding wheelbarrow tyre blinds man

A nationwide alert on Hawk garden wheelbarrows has been issued after a Dunedin man was blinded in one eye while he was inflating its tyre.

The tyre exploded, shearing off six bolts, as Michael Sumner, 35, used a service station pump to inflate it last week.

The rim whacked Mr Sumner in the face, leaving a cut so deep it pulverised his right eye - leaving him blind in the eye. He is to have the eye removed today.

Mr Sumner said yesterday that he wanted to ensure no one else ended up going through the same "hell".

"I bet there are heaps of people out there who don't know it's not recommended to use garage pumps for wheelbarrows," he said.

Mr Sumner and his wife, Leah, bought the kitset Hawk wheelbarrow from Mitre 10 in South Dunedin last Wednesday, and after assembling it took the tyre to a nearby service station to inflate it.

There were no guidelines on the tyre or with the assembly instructions on how much pressure to use.

"I gave it two puffs, then stopped and felt it. It was still soft so I put the hose on to give it one more," Mr Sumner said. "The next thing I remember is being lifted into the ambulance."

Mitre 10 national communications manager Peter Stewart, of Auckland, said the incident had prompted an immediate and "thorough" response.

The Hawk barrows, which cost about $70, are still for sale in Mitre 10 stores, but messages had been sent to staff about the incident. They had also been directed to advise customers how to pump up the tyre.

"The wheel in question has been sent back to the manufacturer [in China], who will be doing a series of tests on it to find out what the issue was and ensure it can't happen again."

Barrow alert

Mitre 10 advises anyone who has bought a kitset Hawk barrow to inflate the tyres to 25 pounds.

The split wheel rim is being sent back to China for further tests.

- NZPA