The New Zealanders who invented the plastic ride known as the "Zorb" are battling for their reputation in North America after a counterfeit device broke the back of a newspaper reporter.
Rebekah Metzler, a reporter for the Sun Journal newspaper in Maine, was rolling down a hill inside the car-sized inflatable ball during a media preview at Lost Valley ski resort when it hit a post, the Boston Globe reported.
Metzler and photographer Lincoln Benedict were strapped inside the 4m sphere when it hit a post and bounced nearly 3m in the air.
State officials are now investigating whether such devices should be subject to the same stringent requirements as amusement park rides.
Regulatory constraints or public perceptions of risk may have implications for the export business the New Zealanders have built up around the Zorb.
The "Zorb" involved in the injury was owned by Zorb New England, whose owner Barry Billcliff was two years ago was involved in a scandal over the alleged theft of a cache if $US720,000 ($NZ957,701) of antique money hidden a barn.
Asked about his Zorb operation, Mr Billcliff said he was running a legitimate business and was trying to rebuild his professional future in the wake of the antique money scandal.
But New Zealander, Craig Horrocks, the chief executive of Zorb Ltd sent a statement to the Sun Journal in which he said that: "Unfortunately, as you are now aware, the (Lot Valley) operators had bought a fake device. `Zorb New England' is an operation that has stolen our name."
Metzler said she believed safety precautions may have been relaxed because the ride was not open to the public.
"I wouldn't want this incident to become a black cloud over the Zorb.
"I think if things are done correctly, it's safe."
The Zorb's New Zealand inventor, Andrew Akers, has been working for nearly three years with another American business, OGO Inc., run by Chris Roberts, which is not affiliated with Zorb Ltd to launch an outdoor gravity orb (OGO) ride next weekend.
Mr Roberts said the Zorb New England spheres did not appear to have harnesses centred on the passenger's body to properly balance the person's weight in the sphere.
He also said the structure of the spheres appeared to be insufficient.
"It's a low quality product," he said.
And there should not have been posts anywhere near the track, he told the Eagle Tribune newspaper.
