Indiana Product Liability Lawyers Discuss Safety of Drop Side Cribs
As Indiana product liability lawyers, we are worried about the increasing hazards linked to drop side cribs. These cribs have been linked to several incidents of suffocation and entrapment, contributing to multiple fatalities.
This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 2.1 million drop side cribs manufactured by Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. The CPSC has asked parents to stop using the Stork Craft cribs and make alternative sleeping arrangement for their babies. According to the CPSC, the problem is a familiar one - the drop side can detach unexpectedly, generating a gap between the wall and mattress, where an infant can easily become trapped and suffocated. There have been 110 incidents of such detachment of the drop side, of which 67 events occurred in the US. Out of these, four infants suffocated to death, and 20 infants fell from the crib, suffering bumps and concussions.
The Stork recall is the largest involving cribs, but it’s the most recent in a series of recalls involving defective drop side cribs. This year alone, there have been several recalls involving these drop side dropsied cribs.
1. In January, 535,000 Stork Craft cribs were recalled.
2. In October this year, Delta Enterprise recalled 600,000 recalls cribs due to suffocation hazards.
3. In July, 400,000 Simplicity drop side cribs were recalled after multiple infant fatalities.
As Indiana product liability attorneys, we are concerned about the frequency with which drop side cribs seem to feature in reports of falls, suffocations, entrapments, and consequently, recalls. Child safety groups are already calling for a ban on drop side cribs. Toys R Us says that it may stop ordering drop side cribs, and may even stop stocking these by the end of 2009. In Suffolk County, NY, there is now a ban on the sale of drop side cribs.
So how unsafe are these cribs? It’s definitely reason to wonder when we see the same styles of cribs subject to recalls for the same types of defects and causing similar injuries. For starters, we would like to see more coordination between the Consumer Product Safety Commission and crib manufacturers and importers about safety standards. Stricter rules have to be set to prevent such accidental detachments that seem to occur so frequently now.
