Recall Alert: Consumer Product Safety Commission Recalls 2.2 Million Cribs

Bloomberg reports that Evenflo Co. and Delta Enterprise leads the U.S. recall of 2.2 million cribs. Five other child-furniture makers have also contributed to the recall due to documented cases of infants becoming trapped or falling out of the crib because of the drop-side design of the cribs. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) documented 32 deaths since 2000 as a result of infants being placed in drop-side cribs.

The drop-side design of cribs is popular with parents because it allows parents to gain easier access to the crib, however, infants can suffocate of be strangled when the hardware of the drop-side design fails. If the hardware fails, a gap is created when the side detaches which allows for the head of an infant to become lodged or for the infant to fall from the crib.

Last month, the CPSC issued a warning to parents after 9 million cribs were recalled in the past five years. By the end of 2010, the agency intends to issue federal regulations that would eliminate the drop-side design, the CPSC Chairman said. The agency had received reports of over 250 incidents, with more than a dozen children becoming trapped, putting them at risk for being strangled. The most serious of the 250 incidents reported were of a infant being hospitalized for losing consciousness and an infant with a broken collar bone.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association is offering consumer information on its website. In addition, the association said that the cribs recalled are not being sold today. The concern is derived from misassembled cribs or age-related wear. Cribs that are more than 10 years old should be replaced.

If your child died or was seriously injured while in one of these cribs, please contact Sheller, P.C., a leading products liability firm, at 1-800-883-2299.