Drop-side cribs are once again in the media headlines following news that the Consumer Product Safety Commission and crib maker Stork Craft are recalling over 2.1 million drop-side cribs in the US and Canada. The recall was announced because of concern that a baby or toddler might get injured in a fall accident, suffocation accident, or entrapment accident if the drop-side becomes detached from the crib.
Already, there have been at least 110 drop-side detachment incidents reported, including four suffocation accidents, 15 entrapment accidents, 20 fall accidents, and four deaths. The drop-side plastic hardware can deform or break or certain parts may be missing. The drop-side might also have been installed upside down. Parents and other caregivers are being told to stop using the cribs right away and to wait for the free repair kit.
These defects can be very dangerous for young infants, especially when they are in the cribs unsupervised. In the last two years alone, the CPSC has recalled over 5 million drop-side cribs. Earlier this year, major crib manufacturers signed off on a proposal banning drop-side cribs in the US.
With infants and toddlers so dependent on others to take care of them, parents need to be able to rely on product manufacturers to make goods that are safe for use. Yet this isn't always the case, and crib makers of defective cribs that have caused injury or death have been sued for products liability and wrongful death.
Earlier this month, the CPSC and Maclaren USA announced the recall of about 1 million umbrella strollers following reports that 12 kids' fingertips were amputated when they put their fingers in the hinge mechanism of the stroller.
While recalling a defective or dangerous product is a positive step forward, there are still the victims who were injured before the recall was announced. Losing a fingertip, sustaining a traumatic brain injury after surviving a suffocation accident, or breaking one's back during a fall accident can be very painful and traumatic and life-altering for a child victim.
Infant Entrapment and Suffocation Prompts Stork Craft to Recall More Than 2.1 Million Drop-Side Cribs, CPSC, November 23, 2009
Maclaren USA Recalls to Repair Strollers Following Fingertip Amputations, CPSC, November 9, 2009
Major manufacturers propose ban on drop-side cribs, Chicago Tribune, March 18, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Crib safety tips, Consumer Reports
There are legal ways to hold a negligent product manufacturer liable. In Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and Orange County, California, our Anaheim products liability lawyers can help you explore your options for recovering compensation for California personal injury involving injuries to a child or wrongful death.
