In a unanimous decision, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to permanently bar the manufacture, sale, and resale of drop-side cribs in the US. The cribs will also be banned from daycare centers and hotels.
Our Anaheim personal injury lawyers represent both children and adults injured because of dangerous and defective products. It is important to hold negligent manufacturers liable for Orange County, California products liability. That said, hopefully, the new federal standards regarding crib safety will decrease the number of children that are killed or hurt because of a defective crib.
In just the last decade, 32 baby deaths--although likely this number is higher--have involved a drop-side crib. While drop-side cribs, with their side that slides down, have offered adults convenience of making it easier for them to pick up, change, or play with their kids, the safety issues presented by drop-side cribs had become too dangerous to ignore. Drop-sides that detach can create a gap between the drop side and the mattress that an infant can easily roll into and become entrapped in, which can lead to strangulation and suffocation. Fall accidents caused by a malfunctioning drop side can lead to head injuries, lacerations, and bumps and bruises.
This is first time that crib safety standards have been revised in almost 30 years. Under the new federal regulations, crib manufacturers must make sure that all their cribs have fixed sides by June 2011. Considering that the CPSC and crib manufacturers have recalled over 9 million drop-side cribs since 2005, the ban should hopefully help parents and kids rest more easily.
Baby Asleep in a Drop-Side Crib? Soon They'll Be Banned, Time, December 17, 2010
CPSC Approves New Crib Safety Rules, CPSC, December 17, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Choosing a Crib, Healthy Children
Contact our Anaheim personal injury law firm to request your free California products liability consultation.
