On Monday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced a bill that would outlaw the manufacturer and sale of drop-side cribs. Meantime, US Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman Inez Tenenbaum is pledging to ban the sale and manufacturer of drop-side cribs by the end of 2010. The CPSC intends to establish a new standard that would make it mandatory that all cribs have fixed-sides.
These actions come because the dangers posed by drop-side cribs that have yet to be recalled can no longer be ignored. Poor design, hardware malfunctions, deformities, or breakage, dangerously large openings created between the side rail and mattress, improper installation, and screws coming off are some of the crib defects reported that have resulted in serious injuries. In the last decade alone, at least 32 baby deaths have involved drop-side cribs. Crib drop sides may also be a factor in 14 infant crib entrapment deaths.
Granted, the CPSC has already recalled some seven million drop-side cribs in the last five years and the industry has started phasing out cribs with drop sides. Some large retailers won’t even allow them on sale floors anymore. However, many of these cribs can still be bought online and they continue to be used in residences and daycares.
Our Boston products liability lawyers are aware of the defects involving drop-side cribs and the dangers they pose. These poorly designed cribs can lead to suffocation, entrapment, strangulation, fall accidents, and wrongful death.
You can hold a negligent crib manufacturer liable if your son or daughter was injured because a drop-side crib was defectively designed or made or it malfunctioned.
Lawmakers look to ban drop-side cribs, AP/Google, May 25, 2010
CPSC Issues Warning on Drop-Side Cribs 32 Fatalities in Drop-Side Cribs in Last 9 Years, CPSC, May 11, 2010
CPSC eyes total ban on drop-side cribs, KATU, May 24, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Crib safety tips, Consumer Reports
Infant/Child Product Recalls (not including toys), CPSC