Parents of infants and toddlers can breathe a little easier. The CPSC is working to ban drop-side cribs by next year. Not only did the federal agency vote last month to cease drop-side crib manufacture, sales, and resales, but also it approved proposed new mandatory crib standards and agreed that cribs with drop sides should removed from daycare centers and hotels. Proposed requirements for the construction of new crib include use of better wood, stronger hardware, and sturdier mattress support.
Drop-side cribs have been a danger to kids for some time. In just the last decade, at least 32 children have died while in drop-side cribs. 14 other crib deaths occurred during entrapment accidents that may have been caused by a drop side.
Although current federal safety rules considers any product that malfunctions or breaks repeatedly to be a defect, this hasn’t stopped 14 crib companies from being named in over 900 drop-side related incident reports, many involving child deaths and hundreds of injuries. In the last three years, alone, the CPSC has recalled over 10 million drop-side cribs because they pose fall, suffocation, and entrapment hazards to kids. According to USA Today Simplicity, Delta, and Stork Craft have been the three largest makers of drop-side cribs.
Our Washington DC products liability lawyers want to remind you that crib manufacturers can be held liable for any injuries to a minor sustained by your infant or toddler. We know how devastating it can be to discover that your child’s crib, one of the few places where you would leave your infant or toddler unattended, actually ended up becoming a cause of injury or death.
Ban on drop-side cribs coming soon from safety agency CPSC, USA Today, August 12, 2010
Government nears new standards for cribs, ban on drop-side cribs, CNN, July 15, 2010
CPSC Proposes New Rules for Full-Size and Non-Full-Size Cribs, CPSC, July 14, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Crib Recall 2010: Full List to Keep Your Kids Safe (Evenflo, Delta, Child Craft, Jardine, LaJobi, Million Dollar Baby, Simmons, CBS News, June 24, 2010
CPSC Recall List, Consumer Product Safety Commission
Our Washington DC injuries to a child or minor law firm represent children and their families in the DC area and in Maryland.