Crib Design Standards May Become More Strict
On November 24, the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) promised swift action to get dangerous products off the market. According to an Associated Press article that appeared on Philly.com, the CPSC chairman acknowledged that her agency did not move quickly enough on a record recall of 2.1 million cribs linked to four infant suffocations.
The recall involves drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft Manufacturing of Canada, affecting 1.2 million cribs in the United States and almost one million in Canada. Sales of the affected cribs date back to 1993.
Stork Craft has insisted that its cribs were safe if used properly. Their chief executive claimed the deaths were found to be a result of improper use and that parents should install a free kit from the company that converts the drop-side to an immovable side.
Drop-side cribs have one side that moves up and down to allow parents, especially shorter adults, to lift children from the cribs more easily. The CPSCS said that there have been 110 incidents of the drop-side detaching from the Stork Craft cribs.
More than five million drop-side cribs have been recalled in the last two years — recalls associated with the deaths of a dozen children.
The CPSC is considering mandatory standards for crib design. ASTM International, an organization that sets voluntary industry safety standards, approved a new standard last week requiring four immovable sides for full-size cribs. This is a step toward eliminating the manufacture of new drop-side cribs.
As a consumer, you have the right to assume that products you purchase or use have been produced in a manner that would ensure that they are safe and free from unreasonable risks. If a company manufactures a product that is hazardous to the user, the company must be held liable for any injuries or fatalities that occurred due to the faulty product.
If you have a defective product claim, such as an injury due to a Stork Crib, you will require the representation of a Philadelphia Pennsylvania products liability attorney from Cherry Fieger and Marciano, LLP to handle all of the complexities involved with this type of case. There are many steps to a product liability case, beginning with proving that the product was in fact defective, next proving the product was the cause of the injury, and finally proving that the product was not used unreasonably. Please contact our firm today to discuss your case with an experienced legal professional.
Source article: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20091125_Crib_design_standards_may_tighten.html
