The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Stork Craft Manufacturing
Inc. have announced the recall of 2.1 million drop-side cribs following
110 reports of the drop-sides detaching from the crib. 1,213,000 crib
units were distributed in the US. The remaining units that were recalled
are in Canada. 147,000 of the cribs come with a Fisher-Price logo.
A detached drop-side can create a gap between the mattress and the crib
that an infant or toddler can easily get entrapped in, making the child
prone to suffocation or other injury. It can also result in fall accidents,
making the child vulnerable to head injuries, broken bones, and bruises.
The CPSC wants caregivers and parents to stop using the cribs right away
and to wait until they receive the free repair kit before attempting to
fix the infant beds. The drop-side detachments have led to 15 entrapment
accidents, 4 suffocation accidents, and 20 fall accidents. At least four
deaths have been linked to the cribs. For example, Michele Witte, the
mother of 10-year-old Tyler Witte was devastated to discover her child
with his head stuck in a gap between the side rail and headboard of his crib.
Cribs included in the recall were made and distributed between January
1993 and October 2009. The drop-side’s plastic hardware can deform
or break or certain parts may have been missing when the beds were initially
purchased.
This latest recall is the largest crib recall in US history. The CPSC
recalled 2 million drop-side cribs by Simplicity over a strangulation
hazard in 2007. Dozens of crib deaths in the last 10 years have involved
drop-side cribs. Over the past two years, nearly 5 million cribs—most
of them drop-side cribs—have been recalled. The crib industry has
even said that drop-side cribs no longer meet safety standards.
With so many injuries and deaths linked to drop-side cribs, it is the
responsibility of crib manufacturers to take a closer look at the design
of these cribs to determine whether they are a products liability that
causes injuries to minors.
Infant Entrapment and Suffocation Prompts Stork Craft to Recall More Than
2.1 Million Drop-Side Cribs, CPSC, November 23, 2009
Stork Craft to Recall 2.1 Million Cribs, CBS News, November 23, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Major manufacturers propose ban on drop side cribs, Chicago Tribune, March 18, 2009
Kids in Danger
If your child was seriously injured by a defective nursery product, please contact our child products liability law firm today.
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