Personal Injury Law

Crib Recall

There has been a recall of 2 million drop-side cribs for deadly hazards.

The moveable sides that raise and lower on such cribs make it easier to whisk away crying babies without straining parents' backs. But the sides repeatedly malfunctioned in ways that were hard to spot, leading to horrific scenes in nurseries around the nation.

When the sides separate from the crib, babies' bodies can slip into the resulting gap. Their heads get trapped, and they hang to death or suffocate. At least 32 children died when their drop-side cribs malfunctioned, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said another 14 babies' deaths may be linked to drop sides.

According to the AP, the recalled cribs include:

• "50,000 Jenny Lind drop-side cribs distributed by Evenflo Inc.
• 747,000 Delta drop-side cribs. Delta is also urging parents to check all fixed and drop-side cribs that use wooden stabilizer bars to support the mattress. The company says the bars can be installed upside down, causing the mattress platform to collapse. CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said Delta "was not cooperative with providing the full number of units involved in the mattress support assembly problem."
• 306,000 Bonavita, Babi Italia and ISSI drop-side cribs manufactured by LaJobi Inc.
• 130,000 Jardine drop-side cribs imported by Toys R Us.
• 156,000 Million Dollar Baby drop-side cribs.
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• 50,000 Simmons drop-side cribs.
• 40,000 to 50,000 Child Craft brand stationary-side cribs and an unknown number of Child Craft brand drop-sides. Child Craft ceased operations last summer and sold its name to Foundations Worldwide Inc., which did not manufacture or sell any of the recalled cribs but will offer rebates for some of them.

Full post as published by A Georgia Lawyer on June 25, 2010 (boomark / email).