As a parent, your worst nightmare is something bad happening to your child. You expect scrapes or bruises, maybe a broken bone, but you hope to never witness anything more than that.
Unfortunately, many parents aren’t so lucky. Every year, defective children’s products hurt thousands of kids. The best-case scenario is these children receive only minor injuries. The worst-case scenario, however, is faulty products seriously injure or kill children.
Any product has the potential to be defective because manufacturers are more concerned with their bottom line than they are with the safety of their customers.
A product can be defined as defective when:
Even if a product isn’t considered defective by the above standards, it can still have a flaw that’s harmful to kids. This risk is even further increased by the fact that most children would not know a defective or dangerous product when they see one. Kids would be unlikely to say anything about it to an adult.
Over the years, there have been hundreds of recalls for all types of products, many of them made for babies or children. Some items that are commonly found defective include:
As you can see, there are a lot of products that can harm children. Most of these defects are caused by bad manufacturing or design, but injuries can happen if a product isn’t labeled with age appropriate warnings.
Common types of defects in children’s products include, but aren’t limited to:
Safety shouldn’t be a question when buying a children’s toy. Nonetheless, kid’s toys and product recalls are extremely common. Here are a few of the recalls that were issued in the past:
Below are some of the more common ways kids can be harmed by defective products:
There are plenty of things you can do to keep your kids safe from defective or dangerous products. If you know about the potential dangers products can have, you’re going to be a lot more careful when making purchasing decisions. Keep the following tips in mind when buying stuff for your kids:
Additionally, there are several government entities that monitor and issue recalls. The Food and Drug Administration handles things like baby formula and medications. You can monitor FDA recalls by clicking here.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission posts press releases with recall information for defective children’s products, as well as tools, machinery, and household items. They offer multiple resources to help parents keep kids safe. Visit the CPSC website to:
Determining liability in a defective children’s product lawsuit can be very difficult. The theory of strict liability mandates that the manufacturer may be responsible for injuries or deaths associated with their products. In some cases, retailers and distributors can be held accountable as well.
Most manufacturers, distributors and retailers do whatever they can to limit their potential for liability. Like an insurance company in a car accident, the entities responsible for making defective children’s products have plenty of lawyers to protect them. They are prepared to fight and will not make getting a settlement an easy task. Bringing a lawsuit against a manufacturer, retailer or distributor will require excellent legal representation.
If your child was injured or killed by a faulty children’s toy or product, do not sit idly by. The experienced defective children’s product lawyers at DeMayo Law Offices may be able to help you claim the compensation you’re entitled to. We will review your situation, as well as product specifications and design elements, to determine whether you have a solid case. Call now to schedule your free consultation at (877) 333-1000.