Texas lawmaker said he didn’t know hoverboards were so dangerous. Now he does.

State Rep. Tony Tinderholt said he will never ride a hoverboard again.

Not after the Arlington Republican only spent a few minutes on one last week before falling off and shattering his left wrist.

Tinderholt, 46, said he tried out his new hoverboard — similar to a mechanized skateboard with wheels under it — in the driveway of his Arlington home on July 28.

He made it a few feet before losing his balance and having the device described as a self-balancing smart scooter slide out from under him.

A quick ambulance ride to Medical City Arlington led to a 5 1/2 hour surgery where doctors restructured and put four plates in his wrist, addressed nerve damage and put a temporary cast on his wrist.

“I had no idea how dangerous these were,” Tinderholt said Sunday night after being released from the hospital. “When I got to the ER, doctors and nurses were telling me how many people come in with injuries. They said they see these all the time and it’s a serious issue. The most common injuries are broken elbows, broken wrists or head injuries.”

Tinderholt hopes to make it back to Austin for the special session on Tuesday, although he will have to come back to Arlington Thursday to get a permanent cast on his wrist.

“I will make it the least impeding to my Austin job as possible,” he said.

It may be 12 weeks before Tinderholt regains full use of his wrist.

And although he said doctors told him this was the worst hoverboard injury they’ve seen, he’s grateful that he will be OK.

“I’m alive,” Tinderholt said. “People need to know how dangerous (hoverboards) are. Anyone who uses one should wear knee, elbow and wrist pads — and a helmet.

“I will never get on a hoverboard again and my children won’t either.”

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Texas lawmaker said he didn’t know hoverboards were so dangerous. Now he does.."