Personal Injury Law

Drop-Side Crib Ban and Tougher Crib Safety Rules Will Hopefully Prevent Some North Carolina Child Injuries and Deaths

This month, the Consumer Product Safety Administration voted to ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs. The nation?s safety regulator has also passed tougher crib safety rules that will eliminate some of the hazards infants and young children have had to contend with over the years.

Beginning June 2011, drop-side cribs can no longer be sold or resold. Child-care centers and hotels have until 24 months after the rule is published to replace their drop-side cribs. Also, per the new mandatory crib standards, crib mattress support will have to be stronger, safety testing must be tougher, and crib hardware will have to be made more durable.

Our Charlotte, North Carolina personal injury law firm is pleased to hear that safety regulators are taking decisive action to protect young children from some of the dangers that cribs have posed. Since 2007, the CPSC has had to recall 11 million dangerous cribs. Many of these cribs had drop sides.

That said, drop-side defects are not the only dangers to kids when it comes to cribs. Yesterday, in its Federal Register Notice regarding the final rule regarding "Safety Standards for Full-Size Baby Cribs and Non-Full-Size Baby Cribs," the CPSC reported 147 deaths in cribs between November 1, 2007 and April 11, 2010. While 107 of the fatalities did not involve crib-related flaws or structural failures, 35 could be attributed to structural safety issues. 18 of the fatalities involved drop-side failures. Entrapment was a factor in 34 of the child deaths. Entrapment can occur when a child gets stuck in an opening within the crib that can cause suffocation or strangulation.

Also, out of 3,520 injuries in cribs, 1,675 of them were crib-related. Fortunately, most of the injuries were not serious enough to warrant hospitalization. However, the injuries that did require hospitalization were involved fall accidents from cribs (causing head injuries, skull fractures, and limb injuries), falls inside the crib, and children getting stuck in gaps in the crib and in between a crib?s slats.

Baby Asleep in a Drop-Side Crib? Soon They'll Be Banned, Time, December 17, 2010

Safety Standards for Full-Size Baby Cribs and Non-Full-Size Baby Cribs, Federal Register Notice, December 28, 2010 (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Consumer Product Safety Commision

Crib safety tips, Consumer Reports

Full post as published by North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog on December 29, 2010 (boomark / email).