Videos of parents crashing off hoverboards go viral

The hoverboard was one of the most popular gifts this holiday season despite warnings about the dangers of boards catching fire and injuries sustained from falls. But as fast as excited children could rip off the wrapping paper, parents also decided to give them a spin.

Moms and dads captured their often hilarious experiences on cellphones and quickly shared them on social media, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy.

"This is a piece of cake!" one man yelled just moments before going down.

It's the gift that keeps on giving, especially for kids who enjoy seeing their parents hop on their hoverboards and find themselves crashing to the ground.

Helmets and kneepads were nowhere in sight, so when many parents went down, it didn't end well.

One teenager tweeted: "My dad sprained his arm riding the hoverbaord this morning... Merry Christmas!!"

Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo shared a photo of his arm in a sling, tweeting: "#hoverboard is for kids. My daughter got it. I ended up in ER." Most adults are finding the thrills aren't worth the spills.

Baseball free agent Dan Uggla tried to roll with his kids but had a hard time getting into the swing of things. That's just one reason the #hoverboardfails has gone viral.

Just before Christmas, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported the number of injuries associated with hoverboards had spiked 35 percent -- that is expected to rise dramatically in the post-holiday tally, which worries some safety experts.

"You have a product that doesn't have to meet any safety requirements and is finding its way to the U.S. market," said Sean Kane, founder of the Safety Institute.

Nathan Furniss sells the boards at a Los Angeles mall. He believes the problem is overconfident adults who don't realize the boards are designed to be self-balancing scooters.

"They're trying to balance themselves, 'Oh I've got this,' and they're trying to balance, when really they need to chill out, just stand straight up. It balances for you," Furniss said as he wiggled on the board.

But Furniss, too, admits that it can go wrong.

"I have to be completely honest," Furniss said. "Yes. My mom was one of the adults that wiped out on them."

And that may be the lesson of this holiday season -- something that seems like child's play is probably best left to actual children.