Every year, children’s products are recalled due to safety problems, including the presence of lead. Whether a part on the product comes loose when it shouldn’t, creating a choking hazard, or the toy contains hazardous materials, when a company finds that a product of theirs could potentially cause injury to children they typically recall the product. However, many children can be injured before the product is actually formally recalled.
Toy Recalls Since 2008
From 2008-2016, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a total of 453 children’s toys were recalled from the market. 172 of those recalls were in 2008 alone and 19 of those products contained lead. Although the number of recalled toys has drastically reduced in recent years, the fact remains that many toys are found to be unsuitable for children only after they are sold in stores.
Children’s Product Recalls in 2016
The above figures for toy recalls do not count children’s products that are not toys, like car seats, bottles and sippy cups, furniture, and other items designed for use by children but not for play. ABC News reports that in 2016, recalls for children’s products increased by 12% over the figures for 2015, resulting in 66.8 million units being taken off store shelves.
While some recalls are as simple as the design of a sippy cup preventing it from being cleaned properly, causing it to grow mold that could potentially result in illness, other unsafe products could cause a child’s death. For example, IKEA dressers manufactured between 2002-2016 had a fatal flaw: the dresser’s design allowed it to tip over easily, and resulted in the death of six children – all under the age of four – after the dresser fell on top of them.
How Parents Can Keep Children Safe
If you’re a parent, it’s important that you keep your eye on product recalls. Cribs, high chairs, toys, and other products can make it to market even if they are inherently dangerous. In many cases, the product’s flaws or defects are not discovered until children become injured, so it’s important to stay abreast of the latest product recalls to ensure that your children aren’t using items that could harm them.
What to Do If Your Child Was Injured By an Unsafe Product
If your child was injured or killed by a defective or unsafe product, it’s crucial that you get legal help as soon as possible. Product designers, manufacturers, and in some cases even stores, may be held responsible for allowing dangerous products to be made and sold to children. It may be possible to obtain justice for your little one and ensure the same doesn’t happen to other children through a product liability lawsuit.
At Mazow | McCullough, PC, we have the resources and skills to help you. Contact us today at 800-693-9074 for a consultation and learn more about your legal rights as the parent of an injured child.
