One Million Cribs Deemed Unsafe - Drop-Down Sides Can Potentially Suffocate Toddlers and Infants
The Consumer Product and Safety Commission issued a press release and announced the recall of 2.1 million potentially defective cribs on Monday, November 23, 2009. The Consumer Product Safety Commission indicated that parents should immediately stop using Stork Craft drop side cribs which are manufactured by Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. of British Columbia. There are approximately 1.2 million of the cribs in distribution in the United States and 968,000 in Canada. The recall also includes 147,000 Stork Craft drop-side cribs with a Fisher-Price logo according to the CPSC. The cribs were sold at major retailers including Sears, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Target between January 1993 and October 2009.
According to the CPSC, the cribs’ drop-side is attached with plastic hardware which can detach unexpectedly creating a space between the crib wall and adjacent mattress causing infants and toddlers to become trapped and suffocate or fall to the floor. There have been 110 documented instances of drop-side detachment, including 67 in the U.S. and 43 in Canada, with 4 resulting in suffocation and 20 resulting in falls that caused injuries that range from concussions to bumps and bruises. Last January, the CPSC issued a recall of over 535,000 Stork Craft cribs due to safety concerns.
As an experienced Philadelphia product liability lawyer who has been fighting manufacturers of defective products since 1979, I join the call for stricter regulations and standards on companies manufacturing children’s products, including but not limited to such cribs. Since the beginning of 2007, more than 5 million cribs, bassinets and play yards have been recalled according to CPSC.
