The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced several recalls of products due to fall hazards.
Our Palm Beach personal injury lawyers know that property damage, deaths and injuries from defective consumer product occurrences cost the country in excess of $900 billion yearly.
A few of the fall hazard recalls are listed below.
Target step stool recall:
Over 200,000 step stools sold between January 2007 and October 2010 were recalled because they were either collapsing or falling apart while the users were on them. To date Target has gotten 27 complaints of the step stools collapsing or breaking. There have been fourteen incidents involving children, eight incidents involved adults and the ages were unknown in five other incidents. Injuries to adults included broken wrists, and one adult also broke her pelvis and hip. Six of the injured children suffered bruises and scrapes along with one adult.
Phil & Teds clip-on table top chair recall:
Approximately 54,000 clip-on chairs sold between May 2006 and May 2011 are being recalled due to worn or missing clamp pads which are causing the chair to detach from tables. Additionally, during a detachment incident an amputation condition arose because children’s fingers could be trapped between a bar and the table clamp. User instructions are poorly written causing possible consumer misuse. There have been 19 incidents reported, five with severe injuries. Two children had their finger’s seriously cut, pinched amputated or crushed. Three children sustained bruises when the chairs fell from the table. Chairs that have black spacers between the clamps and the cross bar are not included in the recall.
Radio Flyer Scoot ‘n Zoom recall:
Roughly 165,000 Scoot ‘n Zoom ride on toys sold between August 2010 and August 2011 that are a potential fall hazard are being recalled. The Radio Flyer Company has gotten ten reports of children falling from the toy. Of the ten falls six children sustained injuries including knocked out or loosening teeth and chin cuts needing stitches. Model #711B with a UPC sticker that is yellow is not included in the recall.
Bravo Sports Disney-branded pogo stick recall:
Nearly 160,000 pogo sticks sold between February 2009 and June 2011 causing lacerations and falls are being recalled. The issue occurring is the rubber tip on the bottom of the stick can wear out too early causing a potential fall hazard. The handlebar end caps are not attached firmly enough causing them to loosen and come off. The sharp edges of the handlebars are a laceration hazard to users. There have been 82 incidents of the bottom rubber tip getting worn out causing five injuries. The most severe injury was a skull fracture to a 9-year-old girl. Other reported injuries included chipped teeth, chin and lip cuts requiring stitches, bumps to the head and pushed in teeth. The Disney-branded sticks are the Hannah Montana model, Pixar Toy Story Cruising Cool model, Pixar Cars model, the Disney Princess model and the Disney Fairies Cruising Cool model.
Purchasing a defective product is a common concern for parents because products that malfunction can cause serious injury to children. When someone is injured by a defective product, an experienced law firm should be contacted to determine their rights to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other costs.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale or the surrounding areas, contact the experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC. Call today for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your case at 1-800-529-2368.
Additional Resources:
New Recalls Issued by CPSC to Prevent Child Injury in Fort Lauderdale and Elsewhere, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, August 3, 2011.
Faulty consumer products a high risk of personal injuries in West Palm Beach, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, May 22, 2011.