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How Many Children Have Died From Corded Window Treatments?

By Paul Napoli

December 15, 2009

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) announced a recall today to repair all Roman shades and roll-up blinds to prevent the risk of strangulation to young children, but the number of deaths the CPSC associates with corded window treatments may be vastly underreported.

Today's recall involves more than 50 million Roman-style shades and roll-up blinds because the cords may strangle children. The news release says the CPSC has received reports of five deaths and 16 near strangulations, since 2006, in Roman shades and three deaths, since 2001, in roll-up blinds.

In 1994 and in 2000, the CPSC and WCSC announced recalls to repair horizontal blinds because of strangulation hazards posed by pull cord and inner cord loops. The industry agreed to modify its products and provide free repair kits for existing horizontal blinds and other window coverings due to the CPSC investigation, ensuring consumers that these new product designs and repair kits protect children from strangulation deaths.

In October 2009, the CPSC issued another safety alert to warn parents about the dangers associated with window coverings.

These recalls did not save Linda Kaiser's daughter from strangulation death by window blinds in June 2002. Kaiser and her husband founded the grass roots, non-profit organization Parents for Window Blind Safety in November 2002 after they lost their daughter Cheyenne and learned of other families who lost children in the same manner.

The goal of Kaiser and her organization Parents for Window Blind Safety is to prevent child strangulation deaths by educating consumers and parents about the dangers of defective window treatments and encouraging them to only use cordless window treatments. They say even corded window treatments manufacturers and the CPSC deem 'safe' can cause death or injury to children.

The organization serves as a database resource and works to convince legislators, the CPSC and window treatment manufacturers into correcting the manufacturing defects of these products that have resulted in the deaths of children. Families who have lost children to window treatment strangulation also find a valuable support group at Parents for Window Blind Safety.

Parents for Window Blind Safety estimates from Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA) statistics that 768 children have died from corded window treatments since 1973. 102 kids have died since the 2000 CPSC recall. The AMA believes 50% of child deaths by corded window treatments go unreported.

'There is NO safe corded window treatment on the market today,' says the Parents for Window Blind Safety website. 'Children that survive this silent killer may not escape unscathed. Besides scarring around the neck, children have lost their eyesight, kidneys and other internal organs. Some even have severe brain damage and require a caregiver for the rest of their lives.'

"Over the past 15 years, CPSC has been investigating window covering hazards and working with the WCSC to ensure the safety of window coverings. We commend the WCSC for providing consumers with repair kits that make window coverings safer and look forward to future steps to eliminate these hazards," said Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC Chairman.

Products liability is the branch of law that deals with the liability of parties involved in the manufacturing of a product for any damages caused by the product. When a product causes serious injury or wrongful death, it is important to contact a personal injury attorney who has experience in handling product liability cases. If your child has suffered injury or died due to strangulation by a defective window treatment, call Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP today at 888-529-4669 to discuss your case.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Napoli

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on December 16, 2009 (boomark / email).