National Defective Clothing Attorneys

When Poorly Made Apparel Injures Children, Our Skilled Team Is Here for Your Family.

It may be difficult to imagine, but defectively manufactured clothing can cause severe injury and even death to children.

Most defective clothing cases are connected with one of two problems:

• either the clothing is designed or manufactured in a way that can cause injury during normal use, or
• it is made of materials that can catch fire and burn.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and other governmental and independent child safety groups are well aware of the hazards of defective clothing. Even so, there are many injuries each year caused by these problems, and a manufacturer may be liable for damages from injuries caused by defective children’s clothing.

If your child was injured because of defects in their clothing, call The Gilbert Law Group® for a free consultation with our team. We have over 50 years of experience helping clients fight for compensation after being hurt by faulty consumer goods. We want to help your family find justice.

Reach out at (888) 711-5947 to speak with one of our clothing defect attorneys. From our Denver offices, we serve clients across the U.S.

Flammable/Burning Clothing

Under the Flammable Fabrics Act, mandatory standards have been established to decrease the flammability of clothing textiles, vinyl plastic film (used in clothing), carpets and rugs, children’s sleepwear, and mattresses and mattress pads. When manufacturers ignore these rules, they put consumers in danger.

There have been many instances of clothing being recalled by the government because it does not meet minimal flammability standards. However, it is virtually impossible for inspectors to check every piece of apparel sold in the U.S. This means consumers are often left to discover manufacturers’ negligence on their own.

A study of burn injury victims between 1997 and 2006 found on average, more than 4,300 people were seriously harmed by clothing fires each year. The biggest danger was to individuals between the ages of 5 and 14.

Flammable clothing is not just an issue in accidents caused by its ignition. Burns from a car or house fire can be more severe if a person’s clothing catches. Injuries may include deep muscle burns and other extreme bodily damage. The treatment and associated medical issues can be complex and expensive. Only an attorney with experience in working with catastrophic burn victims can properly evaluate this type of case.

Strangulation from Clothing

Many kids love to wear hooded sweatshirts (hoodies). These clothing items may be comfortable, but they are also dangerous. Children can be strangled to death when the drawstrings that go around the neck get tangled or caught on other items.

According to the CPSC, 26 children have died and 73 were injured by drawstring entanglement between 1985 and mid-2019. This statistic includes victims between 18 months and 15 years of age. The most common cause of these incidents was a drawstring getting stuck on a slide.

Recent U.S. manufacturing standards prohibit the use of drawstrings in children’s clothing because of this risk, but foreign companies continue to import apparel that goes against these rules. As a result, the CPSC has had to publish recalls and penalize clothing makers and stores that sold children’s apparel with drawstrings. Though the rule on drawstrings is clear, some sellers continue to stock dangerous clothing, putting our children at risk.

Call us at (888) 711-5947 for a free consultation with one of our caring attorneys. No matter where you are in the U.S., we want to hear your story and learn how we can help.