Personal Injury Law

Dangerous Magnetic Toy Manufacturer Fined

We have previously written about dangerous toys containing magnets which can be swallowed by small children. Last week, toy manufacturer Mega Brands America Inc. consented to pay a $1.1 million civil penalty for failing to promptly report promptly dangerous magnetic building sets which it manufactured. The sets have been blamed in the death of a child.

As we reported, tiny magnets can fall out of toys and be swallowed or inhaled by children. If more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attach to each other and cause intestinal perforation, infection or blockage.

In December 2005 Mega Brands, formerly Rose Art Industries Inc., reported the death of a 22-month-old child to the CPSC. He died when he swallowed magnets from a Magnetix set, which attached to each other in his small intestine and created a fatal blockage.

The company failed to report a pattern of incidents involving its imported Magnetix toys as required by law. Instead it blamed the child by alleging rough play for detached magnets that caused the death. According to CPSC, at that time, Rose Art was aware of more than 1,100 reports of magnets falling out of the toys and at least one report of a child injured after ingesting one of the Magnetix magnets.

Magnetix building toys were recalled in March 2006 and this recall was expanded in April 2007. Rose Art was acquired by Mega Bloks Inc. in July 2005. The company, which changed its name to Mega Brands in June 2006, says it was unaware of the defects at the time of the acquisition.

Full post as published by Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog on April 19, 2009 (boomark / email).