Baby Bathers Recalled in Lieu of Defect
Among the numerous recalls that have been implemented thus far in 2012, a frightening number of them have involved children’s toys and devices. First, a popular brand of infant sitting aids, Bumbo baby seats, were recalled after a flaw in the product’s design was discovered.
The defect allowed for infants to easily maneuver their way out of the chair, and if they happened to be sitting on an elevated surface, the resulting injuries were often catastrophic in nature—which was evident in the fact that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was notified of 19 related skull fractures.
Although parents hoped that this recall would be the last that they would see for a while, just last week the CPSC announced yet another recall that will affect more than two million families.
Mother’s Touch/Deluxe Baby Bathers, which are manufactured by Summer Infant, Inc., have been voluntarily recalled in the United States and in Canada, as the flimsy frame of the bathing aid has been known to collapse with a child still in it.
More than two million of these Bathers have been sold in the US since September 2004, and it has been estimated that an additional 65,000 have been sold throughout Canada. According to complaints, “when the Bathers are lifted or carried, the frame has the potential to collapse and unhinge, dropping the baby from the seat.”
Although they are meant to provide a comfortable sitting area for infants while they are being bathed, consumers are saying that they should be more durable. Seven incidents have been reported so far—five of which involved serious head trauma. Consumers should not have to worry that the products that they are purchasing could prove to be dangerous in the long run, especially when their child is the one at risk of suffering an injury.
Although the CPSC often takes swift action to take dangerous and/or defective products off of store shelves and out of consumers’ homes, it is already too late for the victims that have called attention to the problem. For this reason, the law allows for these victims to pursue legal action against the negligent manufacturer. The infant victims that were forced to suffer the consequences of a dangerous product may require consistent medical treatment for the rest of their lives, and as such, the manufacturer should be held accountable.
If you or your child has been injured under similar circumstances, whether because of a design flaw or a dangerous defect, you should not hesitate to take the appropriate legal action. Start today by consulting an experienced lawyer from our firm about the circumstances of your case. From there, we can guide you in the right direction.