Personal Injury: Three Worrisome Recalls Every Parent Should Know About

It's tough enough to be a parent, but some companies make it even more difficult by not verifying the safety of the products they release. This month alone, there have been three huge recalls affecting people in Charleston. Personal injury incidents and even fatalities may result. If you're a parent, please take a moment to make sure you don't have any of these three dangerous products in your home.

1. OXO Nest Booster Seat

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall notice for 25,130 OXO brand booster seats. They retailed for about $55 and sold through boutique baby stores, as well as big box stores like Toys ‘r Us or Buy Buy Baby, and through also Amazon.com. The Nest booster seats are specially designed to serve as an alternative to a highchair by attaching to a standard table chair. Unfortunately, the stitching on chair's straps can come loose and fail, posing a huge fall risk. According to the CPSC, OXO is providing free replacements straps to remedy the issue.

2. Ikea Safety Gates

Ikea is recalling 75,000 baby gates and extensions. The Patrull Klämma and Patrull Smidig gates are the pressure-mounted style, which enable them to fit in doorways of varying widths. Their design is flawed, and they do not generate enough pressure to keep them mounted when force is applied. In other words, if a child leans on it, pushes on it, or tries to climb on it, it can easily topple. At ground-level, this is likely to cause only injury. However, when placed at the top of the stairs, serious injury or even death can result. The CPSC also notes that the lower bar poses a tripping risk. Ikea is offering a full refund for anyone who returns the gate to a store and will also provide warning stickers for anyone who wants to keep their gate and use it at ground-level.

3. Ikea Crib Mattress

In January, Ikea issued a recall of five different models of crib mattresses. This month, they added another five to the list of unsafe products. All the mattresses are from the Sultan line (Blunda, Dromma, Snarka, and Suss) or from the Vyssa product line (Vackert, Vinka, Spelevink, Sloa, and Slummer). The mattresses were made too small, which creates an unsafe gap between the mattress and the crib frame, putting the baby at risk for entrapment or personal injury. Parents are asked to measure the gap between their child's mattress and the bed frame. If more than two fingers fit, they are instructed to stop using it immediately and return it for an exchange or refund.

Charleston Personal Injury Attorney

As parents, we have to be diligent and watch for potential hazards. Unfortunately, some are completely unforeseeable, especially when they involve products from known and reputable brands. If your child has been hurt as a result of a faulty or defective product, a court may award you reparations. Moreover, your case may help ensure another child is not needlessly hurt the same way. For a no-obligation consultation, please contact us online or speak to one of our attorneys now by calling 1(800)610-2546.