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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) recalled more than half a million drop-side cribs by Generation 2 Worldwide and ChildESIGNS after receiving reports of three infant deaths.

The CPSC says that plastic hardware on the Generation 2 Worldwide and ChildESIGNS cribs can break and cause the drop side to detach from a corner of the crib. The crib’s mattress support can also detach from the crib frame. Both defects can create a space in which an infant or toddler could become trapped and suffocate or strangle.

Since 2002, three children have died of suffocation after getting stuck between their mattress and the drop side of their cribs, according to the CPSC. An eight-month-old child from Ohio suffocated in 2007 when his crib’s drop side detached due to a broken plastic stop tab on the lower track. In 2003, an eight-month-old from Indiana died when broken plastic hardware allowed the drop side to detach from the crib headboard in one corner. A Virginia six-month-old suffocated in 2002 after missing screws allowed his crib’s lower drop side track to detach from the headboard post.

There have also been 20 other reports of incidents involving detached drop sides and eight reports of incidents involving mattress supports that came loose, according to the CPSC.

The recalled cribs were sold at various furniture and retail stores including Buy Buy Baby, Kmart and Wal-mart. Although Generation 2 went out of business in 2005, the CPSC believes that more than 500,000 of these cribs were sold nationwide. Parents and caregivers are urged not to fix the cribs and to seek an alternative, safe sleeping arrangement for their child.

For consumers, the current crib recall is the latest in a string of similar announcements that include Dorel Asia and Storkcraft.

Contact us if you or someone you know has been injured by this product.

Recalls ruled the news cycle this week as a slew of announcements flowed from the likes of Toyota, Graco, and Conair. From autos to mops to strollers, it was a tough week for consumers.

Manufacturers involved in crib recalls may soon be required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) to provide refunds and other monetary credits to their customers to get them to discard defective cribs, writes Bloomberg.  Consumers have failed to fully respond to offers of free repair kits to fix product flaws, so many defective cribs continue to be used or resold in secondary markets, according to the CSPC. Refunds or credits may provide more of an incentive to get parents to respond, says the story.

Bloomberg noted that more than 7 million cribs have been recalled since 2007. That number rose again this week when about 635,000 cribs were recalled by Dorel Asia after a 6-month-old became entrapped and strangled in a crib when its drop side hardware failed, according to an Associated Press report.  The recall involves 20 models of Dorel Asia cribs with both drop sides and fixed front rails. Some cribs were recalled because a child can suffocate or strangle when the drop side detaches; others because a child can be trapped if a slat is broken or damaged. In one of the largest US crib recalls, the CPSC last November announced a recall of 2.1 million cribs by Stork Craft Manufacturing.

First it was Maclaren. This week it was baby products maker Graco that recalled about 1.5 million strollers after some children had their fingertips amputated after placing their fingers in the vehicle’s hinges. The CPSC said the strollers pose an amputation and laceration hazard to children when opening or closing the canopy.  The recall involves the Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers and Travel Systems. The products were sold at major retailers including Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Kmart, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart, among others.

Just months after announcing one of the largest automobile recalls in US history, Toyota is facing a second major recall. ABC News reports that the carmaker issued a recall of 2.3 million vehicles this week to address potential problems with gas pedals that stick, causing cars to suddenly accelerate. In November, Toyota recalled 4.2 million cars because accelerators could become stuck under floor mats and cause vehicles to speed up, resulting in crashes and fatalities. The company says the current recall is separate from last fall’s action, in which floor mats and accelerators were replaced and changed, according to ABC News.

Also recalled this week: the Lysol Steam Cleaning Mop by Conair Corp. The CPSC said the mops pose a burn and laceration hazard to users. According to the CPSC, hot water mixed with Lysol can forcefully spurt out and rupture the housing unit.

At Sokolove Law, we’ll be watching how these events play out.

An Associated Press article says that the number of reported baby deaths linked to defective Simplicity cribs has risen to 11 total, including a September incident in which a 7-month-old died after part of a crib broke.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission said yesterday that 11 babies have died, according to AP; earlier recall announcements had reported only three deaths.  The recall of Simplicity-manufactured drop-side cribs began in December 2005, writes the AP. Hardware problems have led to more than 2 million being recalled.

Taking antidepressants may  slightly raise the risk of stroke and death in older women who take these medications, according to a new finding from the Women’s Health Initiative study. A
WebMD report says the study found that stroke risk was greater in postmenopausal women who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, although their overall risk was still very low.  Older women who took SSRI or tricyclic antidepressants also had a slightly higher risk of dying from all causes, compared to those who did not take the drugs, writes WebMD.

Recent Recalls

Around 22,000 toy dart guns sets are being recalled after an 8-year-old child who chewed on one of the darts died after it became lodged in his throat. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that OKK Trading, which imported the Action Team play set, is voluntarily recalling the toy, sold at discount department stores nationwide from December 2006 through March 2008.

A nationwide recall of eleven lots of Cleviprex (clevidipine butyrate) injectable emulsion, indicated for treatment of hypertension, was announced yesterday by The Medicines Company and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The product was recalled due to the potential presence of inert stainless steel particles. The particles could theoretically reduce blood flow in capillaries, cause mechanical damage to some tissues, or initiate acute or chronic inflammatory reactions. Reduced blood supply to tissues may lead to ischemia or organ insufficiency in the brain, kidney, liver, heart or lungs, according to the FDA.

Dangerous cribs that have caused at least four infant deaths, entrapment, and suffocation have prompted the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission to announce a recall of over 2.1 million drop-side cribs, manufactured by Stork Craft.  Some of the cribs have a Fisher-Price logo. The cribs’ hardware can be improperly installed, break, or deform, causing the drop-side to detach and thus leaving a space where infants or toddlers can suffocate or get otherwise trapped.

The cribs, manufactured by Stork Craft, were distributed to stores throughout the United States and Canada, and were built between January 1993 and October 2009. The cribs with the Fisher-Price logo were first sold in the U.S. in July 1998 and in Canada in September 1998. The cribs were sold in various styles and finishes.

CPSC, Health Canada, and Stork Craft are aware of 110 incidents of drop-side detachment; 67 incidents occurred in the United States and 43 in Canada. The incidents include 15 entrapments; 12 in the U.S. and three in Canada. Four of the entrapments resulted in suffocation: a 7-month-old in Gouverneur, N.Y.; a 7-month-old in New Iberia, La.; a 6-month-old in Summersville, W.Va.; and a 9-month-old in Bronx, N.Y. Included in these incidents are 20 falls from cribs; 12 in the U.S. and eight in Canada. Fall injuries ranged from concussion to bumps and bruises. The cribs involved in these incidents had plastic drop-side hardware that had broken, missing, or deformed claws, connectors, tracks, or flexible tab stops; loose or missing metal spring clips; stripped screws; and/or drop-sides installed upside-down. Please see the images below.

The manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin, and the firm’s name, address, and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm’s insignia “storkcraft baby” or “storkling” is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs. In Stork Craft cribs that contain the “Fisher-Price” logo, this logo can be found on the crib’s teething rail, in the manufacturer’s instructions, on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board, and on the end panels of the Twinkle-Twinkle and Crystal crib models.

Major retailers in the United States and Canada sold the recalled cribs including BJ’s Wholesale Club, J.C. Penney, Kmart, Meijer, Sears, USA Baby, and Wal-Mart stores and online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com from January 1993 through October 2009 for between $100 and $400.

The CPSC reminds parents not to use any crib with missing, broken, or loose parts and to be sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy. According to the CPSC press release, when using a drop-side crib, parents should check to make sure the drop-side or any other moving part operates smoothly, always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Any disengagement can create a gap and entrap a child. In addition, parents should not try to repair any side of the crib, especially with tape, wire or rope.

Obviously any product recall involving infants should be taken very seriously. The CPSC is urging parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs, wait for the free repair kit, and do not attempt to fix the cribs without the kit. They should find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby.

Contact us if you or someone you know has been injured by this product.

Stork Craft Crib Recall

Stork Craft Crib Recall - detail

Stork Craft Crib Recall - label detail