Unsafe products are the target of consumer recalls
Every parent’s worst nightmare is something happening to their child, particularly by defective products. Almost every parent uses a stroller for infants or toddlers, and they rely on the manufacturers to keep these products safe. However, these products are not always safe. Recently, two brands of baby strollers have announced recalls of some of their products due to safety issues. Peg Perego has recalled over 223,000 strollers featuring a child tray and a one-cup holder. Specifically, children have become trapped on trays on them and strangle themselves, leading to injury or death.
Tragically, one death has already been reported from the recalled strollers; a six-month-old boy from Tarzana, California was strangled in his stroller in 2004, and a seven-month old girl in New York was nearly strangled in a similar manner in 2006. Young children are able to pass between the tray and the seat bottom, trapping their necks and/or heads in the process, which can happen when the children are unattended or are not harnessed properly. In addition, Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc. has announced a recall of several of its strollers due to problems with children falling out. Over 5,600 strollers from this company have been recalled, although thankfully no injuries have been reported. On these strollers, there have been reports of the front wheel assembly breaking, as well as the nuts holding the stroller basket screws on place detaching.
Every year, thousands of Americans are injured by defective or unsafe products. The law of Products Liability governs liability stemming from such injuries, and it is different from regular tort law in that it has its own set of rules and procedures. In the context of children’s products, claims for products liability can result in compensation for injuries, illnesses, or deaths resulting from unsafe products. Products can become unsafe due to manufacturing or design flaws, poor handling by shippers or distributors, or inadequate warnings of inherent risks.
Children’s deaths from unsafe products is a very serious problem in the United States. Thankfully, unsafe products are being recalled and taken off the shelves to reduce the risk of death or injury to children.
Source: KTTV, “Peg Perego stroller recall 2012,” July 24, 2012