Legal News

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced a baby carrier recall of Dorel Juvenile Infant Car Seat/Carriers.

The press release by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that when the product is used as a baby carrier, the child restraint handle to the seat can loosen and fall off. This poses as a fall hazard to infants.

Dorel Juvenile has disclosed that there have been 77 reported instances where the child restraint handle has either partially or fully come off the carrier. Injuries have ranged from bumps and bruises to a head injury.

The baby carrier recall includes: Safety 1st, Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Disney branded infant car seat/carriers. They were sold with Travel Systems. The stroller portion of the travel system is not affected by this recall. They were manufactured from January 6, 2008 through April 6, 2009. They were sold nationwide from January 2008 through December 2009 for between $120 and $220.

The CPSC told CNN that the baby carrier can still be used as a car seat: "There's nothing wrong with the seat. Once it's set in the car there's absolutely no issue."

Dorel Juvenile is offering a repair kit for consumers affected by this recall. The repair kit contains new bolts that consumers can attach to the handle and seat carrier. They can order these free repair kits by contacting Dorel Juvenile at 866-762-3316.

The CPSC warned parents not to use the car seat/carrier as a baby carrier until they use the repair kit. Patty Davis, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, told the AP "You don't want to take a chance by using this recalled car seat carrier, until you have the repair kit in place. The handle can fall off and the car seat carrier can drop, injuring your infant."

Related Resources:

• Storkcraft Crib Recall: Drop-Side Crib Danger Affects 2.1 Million Cribs (Findlaw's Common Law)
• LaJobi Cribs Recalled: Defects Pose Danger to Kids (Findlaw's Injured)
• Defective and Dangerous Products - Legal Issues (Findlaw)
• Personal Injuries from Defective Products (provided by Kolker & Germeroth, LLC)
• Products Liability Overview (provided by Hartley Hampton)