Personal Injury Law

Federal Government Announces Recall of Cribs After Iowa Child Dies

By Jeff Lowe, Esq.

As a Missouri personal injury attorney, I wrote a while back about a recall of a major brand of strollers. Parents got a new issue to worry about Jan. 19 when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 635,000 cribs because of strangulation and suffocation hazards. An article from CNNMoney.com said Dorel Asia SRL is recalling the drop-side cribs because the hardware holding up the drop side can detach, creating holes that can entrap and strangle a child. Babies can also get caught in the slats of the crib if a slat is damaged, the article said, posing another strangulation risk. This applies to stationary cribs as well as drop-side models.

Dorel Asia and the CPSC have received 31 reports altogether of the sides detaching from the crib. Those incidents caused six entrapments and three injuries as well as the death of a six-month-old boy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In that case, the drop-side hardware broke and the parents tried to fix it themselves. The company and regulators have also received 36 reports of broken slats, which led to cuts and bruises for seven children and entrapment for two. The company stressed that the death was unusual, but safety officials are asking parents to stop using the cribs right away and request a repair kit at the company?s Web site or by calling 1-866-762-2304. The recalled cribs were sold at Wal-Mart, Sears and K-Mart for $120 to $700, depending on the model.

As a St. Louis personal injury lawyer, I hope parents notice this recall and take quick action. Like all manufacturers, baby product manufacturers are legally obligated to make sure their products are safe before they reach the market. If they fail, they are legally liable for any injuries that result. This is particularly important with baby products, because babies are literally helpless. Defective products affect people of every age, but because babies can?t call for help, product defects can kill them before parents even notice something is wrong. Replacing or repairing a crib may be expensive, but it?s nothing compared to the possibility of losing a child.

Full post as published by Missouri Injury Lawyer Blog on January 20, 2010 (boomark / email).