North Carolina Product Liability Blog : North Carolina Product Liability Lawyer & Attorney : D. Hardison Wood : Toy Safety, Child Restraint, Car Seats

Thus far there have been 69 incidents reported. To view a list of the affected models click here.

If you or your child has suffered an injury due to a product defect or from negligence of another, protect your legal rights. Contact the Law Office of D. Hardison Wood at 919.233.0520.

The notice for the Ethan Allen cribs said the following:

Hazard: The crib’s drop-side rail hardware can malfunction, detach or otherwise fail, causing part of the drop side rail to detach from the crib. When the drop-side rail partially detaches, it creates a space between the drop side and the crib mattress. An infant or toddler’s body can become entrapped in the space, which can lead to strangulation and/or suffocation. A child can also fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents can also occur due to incorrect assembly and with age-related wear and tear.

Incidents/Injuries: Ethan Allen has received five reports of incidents involving the crib’s drop-side detaching, resulting in bumps and bruises to three children. One child became entrapped and two children fell out of the crib after the drop side detached, one child received a pinched hand and one child received an unspecified injury.

The notice for the Angel Line products reported:

Hazard: The crib’s drop-side rail hardware can malfunction, detach or otherwise fail, causing part of the drop-side rail to detach from the crib. When the drop-side rail partially detaches, it creates a space between the drop side and the crib mattress. An infant or toddler’s body can become entrapped in the space, which can lead to strangulation and/or suffocation. A child can also fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents also can occur due to age-related wear and tear.

Incidents/Injuries: CPSC is aware of one incident in which the crib’s drop side detached. No injuries have been reported.

The notice about the Kmart exclusive drop side cribs states:

Hazard: The crib’s drop-side rail can malfunction, detach or otherwise fail, causing part of the drop-side to detach from the crib. When the drop-side rail partially detaches, it creates a space between the drop side and the crib mattress. An infant or toddler’s body can become entrapped in the space, which can lead to strangulation and/or suffocation. A child can also fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents can also occur due to age-related wear and tear.

Incidents/Injuries: CPSC and Victory Land Group have received 17 reports of incidents involving drop-side rail detachments from the cribs. Three infants received bruises and abrasions to the neck, back and legs after becoming entrapped when the drop-side detached.

The notices for all three recalls may be found on the CPSC website.

If your child has suffered an injury from a product defect, car accident, day care related injury or any other personal injury, contact the Law Office of D. Hardison Wood at 919-233-0520.
 

According to the announcement the manufacturers listed are offering immobilization kits to prevent the drop-side from detaching. However, these kits do not solve the hazards if there exists broken or damaged hardware. Further, the CPSC recommends not using a crib more than 10 years old, since the hardware could be damaged by wear and tear.

Nine million drop-side cribs have been recalled over the past five years. CPSC staff has determined drop-side cribs generally have a tendency to be less structurally sound than cribs with four fixed sides.

The Crib Information Center is a great resource for additional information. If your child has suffered an injury, contact us to discuss preserving your chil's rights.

Graco announced a recall of nearly 1.5 million strollers due to a potential finger amputation risk. The Graco Passage, Alano and Spree strollers and travel systems were involved in this recall. The hinges on the stroller’s canopy posed a dangerous risk to children’s fingers, either leading to fingertip amputation or serious laceration. The specific model numbers can be found here.

In addition, to Graco’s recall, Dorel Asia cribs recalled approximately 635,000 cribs due to an entrapment and strangulation risk with their cribs. The drop sides of the cribs have hardware which could fail, causing the drop side to fall, leaving space where a child can become entrapped, suffocate or be strangled. The damage can occur at anytime, in use, in storage, or even while it is being shipped or assembled. A list of the affected models can be found here. Immediately stop using the crib and find an alternative, safer sleeping environment.
 

If your child has suffered injuries from a product failure, please contact us immediately. call 24/7 at 1-877-829-7211.

For more information on the Evenflo Majestic high chair recall please see the CPSC website here.

Lead paint is still a major issue with multiple products. As you look for furniture or holiday gifts for your children, please keep that in mind.

As a matter of fact, today, Munire recalled approximately 3,000 cribs and 6,000 pieces of matching furniture in the Newport Rubbed Black editions due to lead violations.

Hazard: The red paint which is underneath the black finish paint on some of the cribs and matching furniture exceeds federal lead limits. If ingested by young children lead can cause adverse health effects.

Incidents/Injuries: Munire has received one report of a child ingesting the paint. The child was diagnosed with lead poisoning.

For more information on this crib/furniture recall visit the CPSC website here.

In addition, Woodstock Percussion Inc.recalled approximately 2,800 toy drums due to a lead paint violation.

Hazard: Surface paint on the recalled toy drums contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

To read the full notice, please click here.

Last week, Xtreme Toy Zone recalled about 480 toy dinosaurs due to a lead paint standards violation.

Hazard: Surface paint on the toy dinosaurs can contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Read the full notice here.

In addition, 600,000 Delta Enterprise Drop Side cribs have been recalled which were manufactured and sold between 2000 and 2007. The two notices can be here and here in their entirety.

With these recalls effecting an enormous volume of consumers, the CPSC announced that it is considering rulemaking with regards to crib defects.

Since the creation of the CPSC Early Warning System in fall of 2007, the agency has conducted five crib recalls where the hardware was broken, missing or otherwise failed to function. Cribs with drop sides are the type most likely to experience hardware problems. They contain more moving parts and have more non-rigid connections than static, or non-drop side cribs. In many cases the drop side corners disengage from the tracks located on the crib ends, or safety stops become nonfunctional permitting the drop side to detach from the crib. These types of defects are often undetected by parents or caregivers and can worsen when the baby pushes or leans against the side of the crib.

While the mandatory and voluntary crib standards have succeeded in preventing many deaths and injuries, the agency staff believes the performance requirements can be strengthened to deal with the problems identified by the Early Warning System. Therefore, agency staff will be recommending that the Commission vote to issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed (ANPR) rulemaking to examine and assess potential design and durability issues and possible mandatory performance requirements to prevent future entrapments and strangulations to children. If approved, the ANPR will seek input and information about hardware systems, other hardware issues, assembly and instructional problems and wood quality/strength issues for cribs with both stationary and drop side construction.

As these cribs fail, and caregivers are left unaware of the inherent dangers, the children are the ones who remain the victims. It would seem that more needs to be done with regard to the safety of the cribs which make it into the marketplace.

The CPSC offers the following as safety tips:

Safety Tips for all cribs:

• Parents should not use any crib with missing, broken or loose parts.

• Hardware should be inspected from time to time and tightened to keep the crib sturdy.

• When using a drop side crib parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly on its track.

• Always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Any disengagement can create a gap and entrap a child.

• Do not try to repair any side of the crib without manufacturer approved hardware or with tape, wire or rope.

• Putting a broken side up against the wall does not solve the problem and can often make it worse.