Legal News

Today the CPSC, in conjunction with the company Dorel Asia SRL, of Barbados, announced a voluntary recall of drop side and non-drop side cribs. Consumers are asked to stop using the Dorel cribs immediately until they receive and install a repair kit. The CPSC reports that suffocation or strangulation can occur when the drop side detaches and creates a space that the infant can become trapped in. The same dangers can occur when a slat on the side of the crib becomes damaged.

The CPSC has received one report of the death of a six month old child when the drop side hardware broke and the parents continued to use the crib after attempting to fix it themselves. CPSC and Dorel have reports of 31 drop side incidents and 36 incidents of slat breakage.

The cribs under recall were sold at K-Mart, Sears and Wal-Mart stores nationwide from January 2005 through December 2009 for between $120 and $700. For the complete CPSC list of model numbers and descriptions of the cribs under recall, click here.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs and contact Dorel Asia to receive a free replacement kit. Consumers can log on to www.dorel-asia.com to order the kit. According to the CPSC, repair kits will be provided to owners within the next several weeks.

To contact Dorel Asia, call toll-free at (866) 762-2304 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm?s Web site at www.dorel-asia.com.

The CPSC reminds parents not to use any crib with broken, loose or missing parts and to check to insure the drop side of the crib functions smoothly. Do not attempt to repair any part of a crib with wire, string, duct tape or rope.

Related Resources:

• Dorel Asia Recalls To Replace Cribs; Pose Strangulation and Suffocation Hazards (CPSC)
• CPSC Announces More Crib Recalls (Findlaw's Common Law)
• More blogs covering crib recalls (Findlaw's Common Law)
• Consumer Product Recalls (Findlaw)
• CPSC Crib Information Center
• Personal Injuries from Defective Products (provided by Cohen, Snyder, Eisenberg & Katzenberg, PA)
• Products Liability FAQ (provided by Law Offices of Jeffrey I. Amtman)