Many Children Still Injured by Defective Holiday Gifts
While holiday shopping for kids often involves pursuing that perfect item, there are many children injured each year by toys, cribs and other products oriented for children. Although parents may reasonably expect that the manufacturers of such products take appropriate care to ensure that these products are not unsafe for children, babies and even older kids are injured every year by defective toys and other products marketed for children.
Although the types of injuries inflicted on kids by defective products depend on the nature of the specific product, there are a disproportionate number of injuries to the face, eyes and head of kids from defective products according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Some toys come with sharp protruding edges that can cause injury when small children fall on these sharp objects. Toys with small detachable parts and uninflated balloons can pose a serious risk of asphyxiation or choking. These are only a few of the potential hazards that can be present in poorly designed or manufactured children's products or when such products lack sufficient cautions and warnings regarding the appropriate age range for using the product.
With the growing number of toys and other children's products manufactured in China and other foreign countries with lax safety standards, defective products intended for infants and kids have been an increasing concern. However, the CPSC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have made a concerted effort to seize these defective products at ports of entry before they can make their way onto retails shelves, but unfortunately they can't identify and stop them all. According to the CPSC website, these government agencies have seized 9.8 million units covering 3,000 different toys during the last five years that did not comply with applicable safety standards.
Another measure of the improved safety of children's products is perhaps suggested by the fact that only 31 toy recalls were issued for toys in fiscal year 2013. Further, none of these recalls related to unsafe lead levels. By contrast, there were 172 separate different types of children's toys recalled during the fiscal year just four years earlier with nineteen of these recalls applying to toys with unsafe levels of lead.
Put Our Law Firm's Over 39 Years Experience to Work For You
Notwithstanding this progress, many infants, children and teens are injured by defective products including toys that are received during the holiday season. If your child is injured by a defective product, the company that designed and/or manufactured the product may be financially responsible, as may the wholesaler and retailer of the product depending on the specific facts and circumstances.
Our Georgia personal injury lawyers at Montlick and Associates have been representing injury victims for over thirty years throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.