Over the last couple of years, millions of cribs have been recalled in the United States after defects were detected. Unfortunately, many of these recalls occurred after a young child was killed or seriously injured by a defective crib. Parents trust that the cribs they are placing their children in are free from danger, but as experience has shown, this is not always the case. Crib manufacturers owe consumers a duty to provide safe products. Manufacturers are strictly liable for their cribs and can be held responsible when a child is injured by a defective product.
There have been numerous recalls of cribs during the past couple of years and some of the notable recalls have included Simplicity cribs, Delta drop side cribs and Stork Craft baby cribs. Nearly 2.5 million cribs were included in these recalls.
The Simplicity cribs were recalled after it was found that the drop side rail could detach from the crib, which would create a dangerous gap. Two young children, ages 6-months and 9-months, were killed in Simplicity cribs and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) received seven additional reports of infant entrapment and fifty-five incidents involving these cribs.
Delta Enterprise Corp. also cooperated with the CPSC in recalling almost a million cribs. Safety pegs were missing from the cribs, which posed an entrapment and suffocation risk to infants and toddlers. There was one report of an 8-month-old infant who became entrapped in his crib and suffocated when the drop side rail detached. The CPSC received two additional reports of entrapment and nine disengagement incidents.
More than 500,000 Stork Craft cribs were recalled after it was found that the metal support brackets could break, which could lead to entrapment or suffocation of a young child. There was a report of a toddler who sustained bruises after the support brackets broke and another report of a child who became entrapped.
The article, “ Defective Cribs Can Harm Young Children,” has even more details regarding these recalled cribs.
If your infant or toddler has been injured by a defective crib, contact the Law Offices of Lilly, O’Toole & Brown, LLP at (863) 683-1111.