Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Many of the injuries that send our children to the hospital are predictable and preventable with the ample amount of parent supervision; however accidents do occur. Unfortunately, for kids and their caregivers many accidents occur in the summertime when the children are more active.

The most common reason kids end up in the hospital in the summertime is due to injuries from falling off of playground equipment. Falling just short distances from the monkey bars can break a child's limbs and even worse may cause a concussion. Smaller children are top heavy causing many small tumbles to end up as serious head injuries.

Bonfires and fireworks are common summer time activities and are also a top cause for emergency room visits. Older children are more commonly burned due to direct contact with fire while younger children are more commonly scalded. As smaller children climb and explore areas such as the kitchen, they can pull hot food down from the counter or get burned from kitchen appliances.

Finally, children commonly head to the emergency room in the summer due to accidents that occur while travelling. The vast majority of bike injuries are preventable if children would wear the proper safety equipment such as helmets. Increased activity in the summer on motorized vehicles such as dirt bikes and ATVs increases the likelihood of injuries to children. Parents neglecting to use or improperly using car seats on summer vacations is another preventable but common injury to children.

Related Sources:
5 Reasons Kids End up in the Hospital

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a massive recall on drop side cribs. Two million cribs manufactured by seven different companies were named in the recall. Over the past five years over nine million drop side cribs have been recalled and the CPSC has warned parents and caregivers several times about the dangers of drop side cribs.

Unlike a standard crib with four immobile sides, drop side Drop side cribs are manufactured with one side that slides up and down for easier access to children. Defective, missing or broken hardware can cause the drop side to unexpectedly collapse and create a hazardous gap for children. Over the past five years, the CPSC has received numerous complaints of children falling out of drop side cribs or suffocating in the hazardous gap created by the defective crib.

In this latest recall, the CSPC has named 16 separate incidents of infants becoming trapped in the cribs. The cribs are manufactured by Evenflo, Delta Enterprises Corp., Child Craft, Jardine Enterprises, LaJobi, Million Dollar Baby and Simmons Juvenile Products Inc. For a complete list of models affected please visit this site.

Related Sources:
More than 2 million cribs recalled

Child Craft Drop-Side Cribs Recalled Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards

Evenflo Recalls to Repair Drop-Side Cribs Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards

LaJobi Recalls to Repair Bonavita, Babi Italia and ISSI Drop-Side Cribs Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards

Simmons Recalls to Repair Drop-Side Cribs Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards

Campbell Soup Company of Camden, New Jersey has announced a recall on the popular SpaghettiOs & Meatballs due to undercooked meat.

Due to a malfunctioning cooker, 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs & Meatballs are being recalled. The defective cooker did not adequately heat the meatballs contained in the products. The recall dates back to SpaghettiOs & Meatballs manufactured since December 2008. It is unknown to the company when the cooker malfunctioned and has stretched the recall back to 2008 for an extra measure of safety. The company estimates that there are currently 35,000 cases of the recalled products on store shelves.

SpaghettiOs with Meatballs, SpaghettiOs A to Z with Meatballs, and SpaghettiOs Fun Shapes with Meatballs are all named in the recall. The products were manufactured from December 2008 to January 2010. All cans are stamped with a use-by-date between June 2010 and December 2011. The cans are also stamped with "EST 4K." So far there have been no reports of illness or injuries.

Related Sources:
Recalled: SpaghettiOs & Meatballs, Marie Callender

McDonald's has recalled 12 million collectible Shrek glasses due to cadmium contamination. Cadmium is a known carcinogenetic and cause kidney problems and bone softening. The glasses were manufactured ARC International of Millville, New Jersey.

Cadmium can be used to create red and yellow in paints and was used on the paintings of Shrek characters on the outside of the glasses. The cadmium in the paint could leach out onto the child's hand and then enter the body if the child was to place their hand in their mouth. McDonald's and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have urged all owners of the glasses to immediately stop using them and keep them away from children.

Cadmium concerns surfaced in January 2010, when it was discovered that children's jewelry from China contained 91% of the dangerous metal. It is unknown the amount of cadmium contained in the paint on the glasses but the federal government is looking to implement stronger testing for the known carcinogenetic. Instructions for refunds for the glasses can be found on McDonald's website.

Related Sources:
McDonald's pulls 12M cadmium-tainted Shrek glasses

Shrek Forever After™Glassware Recall

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in co-operation with Sprout Stuff has recalled 40 Sprout Stuff infant ring slings due to suffocation hazards. So far the commission has received the report of one infant death connected to the sling.

The slings were sold directly to consumers from October 2006 to May 2007 between $35 and $45. The sling is made of muslin fabric and comes with or without a shoulder pad and has "Sprout Stuff" printed on it. Consumers should immediately stop using the defective product and contact Sprout Stuff for a full refund.

Slings are worn around a parent or caregiver's chests to hold children up to two years of age. The CPSC has routinely notified parents to be extremely careful when carrying their child in a sling. The fabric of the sling can press against the child's face, depriving them of oxygen. The sling can also cause the baby to curve, pressing the head against the chest which also restricts the child's ability to breathe.

Related Sources:
Child Injuries

Infant Death Prompts Recall of Ring Slings Made by Sprout Stuff Due to Suffocation Risk

Newborn death prompts recall of baby slings

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is currently under investigation from the Pennsylvania Health Department amid reports of doctors in the hospital reusing syringes.

The hospital has admitted to reusing syringes on patients undergoing treatment with Botox injections. Botox is most commonly used to treat muscle tightness in children suffering from cerebral palsy and muscle tightness in adults who have suffered a stroke. Most of the injections under investigation were used on children and date back to 2005.

Reusing syringes is dangerous and can spread disease. The hospital admits that close to 250 patients, the majority children, were injected with used syringes. Botox has a short shelf life and the hospital admitted it was trying to conserve Botox when the syringes were reused. The hospital will contact the former patients and test them for any blood borne illnesses from the dangerous medical procedure.

Related Source:
State Investigates Reused Syringes At Children's Hospital

Each day families come to our firm when their loved ones have suffered serious brain injury and there is a possible personal injury claim they may have as a result. There are countless causes for our clients injuries. It is alarming when news breaks about a recall for products sold by nationwide retailers that may already be in thousands of homes throughout the country.

Such is the case with the recent recall at Target stores nationwide. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recently recalled about 350,000 woven storage trunks after an 18 month-old girl suffered brain damage after a lid fell on her neck. The recall involved 14 different models of trunks sold at Target Stores. The recall notice states that the lid of the trunks can drop suddenly which may endanger small children who may be reaching inside them. The notice explained that an 18-month-old girl had been injured after the lid of a trunk suddenly fell down on the back of her neck and pinned her throat against the rim of the trunk.

It should be commended that Target moved to take these products off of their shelves. However, it is a sad reminder that sometimes products are sold to the general public that are not as safe as they should be.

Related Sources:

Target Recalls Storage Trunks Due to Strangulation Hazard

A children's medication manufacturing plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania has been closed by McNeil Consumer products in the wake of the massive children's medication recall. The plant in suburban Philadelphia will not be allowed to resume manufacturing until deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

An investigation by the FDA uncovered more than twenty manufacturing problems associated with the plant. The report noted that some machines were covered in dust and others were held together with duct tape. For the last year the FDA had been pressuring the plant to correct its problems and finally shut it down after the recall was issued. The report also mentions that McNeil's parent company, Johnson & Johnson failed to investigate over three dozen consumer complaints of quality issues associated with their products.

Health regulators at the manufacturing facility failed to test the raw ingredients for contaminants in the over the counter medication it was producing. An inspection from the FDA discovered there was no site in the plant to test the ingredients and bacteria was in fact found. It is unclear whether the bacteria reached the finished product in the recalled medications but health officials are still urging parents and care givers to refrain from giving the potentially dangerous medications to their children.

Related Sources:

Tylenol plant in Ft. Washington closed in wake of recall

FDA Found Bacteria In Lots For Recalled Tylenol

McNeil Product Recall Information

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) has issued another warning to Philadelphia parents and those across the country about the dangers of drop-side cribs. Eleven recalls involving more than 7 million drop-side cribs have been issued in the past 5 years due to the hazardous gap the cribs can create.

In the past decade, over thirty children have died by suffocation or strangulation after they were trapped in the hazardous gap that can be created by a defective drop-side crib. The agency also received hundreds of complaints of children getting injured by falling out of a defective crib. The commission is urging all parents to remove the defective cribs from their homes to protect their children.

A drop-side crib tends to be less structurally sound that a traditional crib and the drop side is routinely know to break away from one of the crib corners. Defective hardware and incorrect installation are the most common causes of a drop-side breaking. When the drop-side breaks a hazardous gap is created that the infant or toddler can become trapped or wedged in leading to suffocation or strangulation.

Starting in June 2010, all drop-side cribs will be banned from the United States Market. The government will also increase the safety standards for all cribs to protect children from defective and dangerous sleeping areas.

For more information please visit the CSPC page on Drop-Side Cribs.

Parents and caregivers of children in Philadelphia may want to check their medicine cabinet for recently recalled medications. McNeil Consumer Healthcare has issued a recall of over 40 over-the-counter infant's and children's liquid medications because they do not meet quality standards.

Children's versions of Tylenol, Tylenol Plus, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl are among the medications recalled by McNeil in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration. Some of the medications recalled contain higher concentrations of the active ingredient than listed on the bottle. Other medications contain inactive ingredients and other particles that have not been subject to internal testing requirements.

Although no adverse effects of injuries have been reported, McNeil and the FDA are advising that consumers stop using the products immediately and discard of them appropriately.

For a complete list of the medications recalled please visit this website.

Related Sources:
Children's Liquid Cold, Allergy Medicines Recalled

McNeil Product Recall

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced two massive crib recalls due to suffocation and entrapment risks. Graco has recalled 217,000 drop side cribs that were manufactured by LaJobi Inc., of Cranbury, New Jersey amid reports of defective hardware which can cause the drop side of the crib to become dethatched. The CPSC has recalled all Simplicity full-size cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames amid reports of the support frames breaking and causing the mattress to collapse.

The Graco cribs were sold nationwide in retail stores February 2007 to March 2010 for between $140 and $200. The drop side hardware can break and create a hazardous gap between the drop side and the mattress. Infants or toddlers can become stuck or wedged in this gap and suffocate. The crib also poses a fall hazard when the drop side hardware fails. Parents and other caregivers should stop using the crib immediately and contact Graco for a repair kit. A complete list of the defective crib names and model numbers can be found at this link.

Simplicity and its successor, SFCA Inc. are no longer in business limiting the amount of information the CPSC could obtain regarding number of defective cribs and manufacturing date. The CPSC has recalled all simplicity cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames regardless of model number. Previously, the CPSC recalled all Simplicity drop-side cribs due to suffocation hazards similar to the Graco recall above. There have been reports to the CPSC of the support frame bending or breaking creating a gap where an infant or toddler can suffocate to death. Parents and caregivers should not attempt to fix the defective crib frame and should immediately stop using the crib and find a safer sleeping environment for their children.

Realted Sources:

Thousands of cribs recalled

Simplicity Cribs Recalled by Retailers; Mattress-Support Collapse Can Cause Suffocation and Strangulation

Graco®-Branded Drop Side Cribs Made by LaJobi Recalled Due to Entrapment and Suffocation Hazards

Most Philadelphia parents buy bottles and other plastics for their children that are "BPA free" but a new study has found the dangerous chemical in liquid formula and canned food.

Bisphenol A or BPA is a chemical that has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and can liners. In recent years, BPA has been linked to reproductive abnormalities, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, heart disease and diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration has yet to determine what it considers a "safe exposure" to the dangerous chemical but most manufacturers of plastics, especially those marketed for children have removed the chemical from their plastic formula.

A new study has found that BPA can also be found in liquid formula and some canned foods. As the FDA further studies the effects this dangerous chemical has on consumers, it may be a good idea to limit exposure to BPA especially in children and pregnant women.

Related Sources:
Is scary stuff lurking in your pantry?

Q & A on BPA for Parents

The Supreme Court will decide if a manufacturer can be sued by parents of children who suffered side effects from a vaccine. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that the manufacturer could not be sued because a 1986 federal law prevents the suit. The suit is being ushered to the Supreme Court by President Obama and even the defendant in the case, Wyeth, which is now owned by Pfizer, Inc.

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986 set up a special court to hear vaccine disputes and was created to insure a stable supply of childhood vaccines by shielding companies from lawsuits. A concern over mercury-based thimerosal in vaccine and its link to autism has seen a recent rise in the number of lawsuits against drug manufacturers. As a result, thimerosal has been removed from childhood vaccines but further studies have shown that there is no link between thimerosal and autism. The vaccine court has rejected all claims against manufacturers and only one high court, The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that families can sue drug manufacturers over vaccines.

Related Sources:
Court will hear case about vaccine side effects

Graco Children's Products Inc. in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled 1.2 million Harmony High Chairs due to defects in the legs of the chair. Graco has received almost 500 complaints of chairs collapsing causing injuries to children.

There are two defects that can present a fall hazard to children. On the front legs screws can loosen and eventually fall out and in the rear legs the plastic bracket can crack causing the chair to become unstable and tip over unexpectedly. Injuries reported to the company include: head injuries, limb fractures and various other cuts and bruises to other parts of the body.

The recall covers all Harmony High Chairs manufactured between November 2003 and December 2009. The chairs sold for $70 and $120 at nationwide retailers including Babies R Us, Wal-Mart and Target. Graco no longer manufactures the defective high chair but estimates over one million are still in use today. Consumers should immediately stop using the high chair and contact Graco for a free repair kit.

Related Sources:
Graco Recalls Harmony™ High Chairs Due to Fall Hazard

A Massachusetts firm has agreed to pay a $200,000 fine for importing toys with dangerous levels of lead paint. The firm was fined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for violating federal law and importing the noncompliant toys. Imported toys include Curious George, Thomas and Friends and Winnie the Pooh.

The CPSC alleged that the company should have known that the toys did not meet the lead paint standard in 2002 but imported the tens of thousands of toys anyway. The company also did not immediately report the contaminated toys to the government and distributed them to retailers. By agreeing to the settlement the company denies any wrongdoing.

Lead poisoning is especially dangerous with children because they are much more susceptible to ingest higher levels of lead than when compared to adults. Dangerous levels of lead poisoning can lead to brain swelling, kidneys problems, coma, convulsions, and even death.