Legal News

The constant barrage of drop side crib recalls noted on this blog reached a new high today, June 24, 2010, as the CPSC announced a major seven manufacturer recall of more than two million drop side cribs. All of the firms involved in the voluntary recall will provide consumers with repair kits to fix the cribs. The CPSC warns consumers not to attempt to fix any drop side cribs with "homemade remedies."

The cribs included in today's recall are from the following manufacturers:

• Child Craft, (this firm is out of business): Fixed-Side and Drop-Side
• Delta Enterprise Corp., of New York, N.Y.
• Evenflo, of Miamisburg, Ohio
• Jardine Enterprises, of Taipei, Taiwan
• LaJobi, of Cranbury, N.J.
• Million Dollar Baby, of Montebello, Calif.
• Simmons Juvenile Products Inc. (SJP), of New London, Wis.

Although the drop side cribs are convenient because the sliding side makes it easier to lift a child out, the detachment of the drop side portion of the crib makes a space in which an infant or toddler can become trapped and strangle or suffocate. The CPSC has received many reports of infant deaths caused in this way.

According to the announcement by the CPSC, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has also launched a new crib safety initiative. The listed manufacturers are providing free drop-side crib immobilization kits to prevent the drop side from detaching, plus replacement hardware and assembly instructions for cribs manufactured by participating firms. These materials are available free to any consumer by request.

The firms involved in today?s crib recall are providing immobilization devices or other remedies as part of JPMA?s crib safety initiative. Consumers can visit JPMA?s website, www.cribsafety.org, for a list of participating manufacturers and for downloadable materials about ensuring that children have a safe sleep.

The CPSC would like to remind parents and caregivers that the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a crib or bassinet depending on their age. If your crib has been recalled or has missing, broken or loose parts, find an alternate safe sleep environment intended for a baby. If your baby is less than six months old and is not yet able to push up to his/her hands and knees, you can put your baby to sleep in a bassinet. Make sure your bassinet has not been recalled. To see a list of recalled bassinets, click here.

Related Resources:

• Seven Manufacturers Announce Recalls to Repair Cribs to Address Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards (CPSC)
• 2,000,000+ Drop-Side Cribs Recalled (Consumerist)
• Storkcraft Crib Recall: Drop-Side Crib Danger Affects 2.1 Million Cribs (FindLaw's Common Law)
• Sen. Gillibrand Introduces Legislation Prohibiting The Drop Side Crib (FindLaw's Common Law)
• Defective Product Injury Overview (provided by Keogh Crispi, P.C.)
• Personal Injuries from Dangerous or Defective Products (provided by Briskman & Briskman)