Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

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.

Philadelphia parents who own a Graco stroller should immediately stop using the product until they can confirm the defective stroller has not been recalled by the manufacturer. After several reports of children having their fingers lacerated or amputated by a defective hinge Graco has recalled 1.5 million strollers.

The recalled strollers were manufactured between October 2004 and February 2008 and sold under the model names of Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers and Travel Systems. Two different styles of hinge mechanisms were manufactured for the recalled models but only one style is being recalled. The plastic jointed hinge mechanism with indented positioning notches is the dangerous and defective hinge and parents should stop using the stroller with this hinge immediately. Owners of the defective stroller should contact Graco for a free repair kit.

The strollers were sold nationwide at retail stores for between $80 and $90 and travel systems were sold for between $150 and $200. The model number can be found just above the rear wheels on the lowers inside position of the rear frame.

Recalled Model Numbers:
6303MYC, 6303MYC37240DNB, 7240DNB2,
7240MKL2, 7240MKL37F02GLM3 6320IVY, 6320LAU7241DDH2, 7241DHO37F04TAY3 6330CAP, 6330THR,
6330THR37255CLP, 7255CLP2,
7255CRA2, 7255CRA3,
7255CSA3, 7255GPK3,
7255GRN, 7255GRN2,
7255JJB3, 7255ORC2,
7255WLO2, 7255WLO37F07EMA3 6F00QIN3, 6F00RRY37256CLO2, 7256SPM2,
7256SPM37F08DSW3, 7F08LAN3 6F03GLN37260BAN, 7260BAN2,
7260BAN3, 7260MRA2,
7260MRA3, 7260PKR,
7260PKR27G00DLS3, 7G00DLS4 6G10CSE37270BIA, 7270BIA27G01CRL3 7235GGA, 7235GGA27E01JON2, 7E01JON37G04KRA3 7236CDR27F00LPE3, 7F00RSH37G05GPR3, 7G06WSR3 7237HOL2, 7237HOL37F01FOR37G07ABB3, 7G07BAT3

Related Sources:
Graco Recalls Strollers Due to Fingertip Amputation and Laceration Hazards

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled over a half a million units of Vicks DayQuil cold medicine because the packaging was found not to be child proof.

The 700,000 units were sold between September 2008 and December 2009 as Vicks DayQuil Cold & Flu 24-Count Bonus Pack Liquicaps. The packaging is marketed as child-resistant but the blister packs inside are not.

The UPC for this product is 3 23900 01087 1.

If a child was to open the medicine and ingest several of the pills they could suffer from serious health problems and death. Thankfully there have yet to be any reports of a child swallowing the medication.

This latest recall comes at not the most opportune time for Vicks and its parent company Proctor & Gamble. The company has already had 120,000 bottles of Vicks Sinex nasal spray recalled after bacteria were found in the spray. The Food & Drug Administration has also sent Vicks a letter warning them about the marketing of their products with Vitamin C.

Related Web Sources:

Red Orbit News

The Consumer Product Safety commission announced the recall of 24,000 baby beds made by Amby Baby because of the risk of suffocation. Two babies died this past summer; a 5-month old in Oregon and a 4-month old in Georgia. The Motion Beds are a hammock like bed marketed to parents of babies with colic or reflux. The beds hang from a swing and have mesh and fabric sides. When a baby is put into the bed it moves up and down and swings from side to side mimicking the motion of a baby in the womb. The side to side shifting or or tilting of the hammock can cause an infant to roll and become trapped or wedged on the side against the hammock's fabric or mattress pad. This can pose a serious suffocation risk. Anyone with an Amby Baby Motion Bed should stop using them and return them for a refund. These beds were sold on line through Ambybaby.com from January 2003 to October 2009.

Philadelphia parents should immediately stop using all Maclaren brand strollers. After several reports of children having their fingers amputated by the stroller, Maclaren in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Comission (CPSC), has recalled all makes and models of their umbrella strollers. The defective strollers have been found to amputate children's fingers when placed in the hinge where the stroller closes. The recall covers over one million strollers that have been sold nationwide in the past decade.

The recall comes at a surprise to many parents because the brand has a reputation for being extremely dependable. The light, compatible, upscale but relatively inexpensive stroller is very popular among young urban parents. To remedy the situation Maclaren is offering free hinge covers to protect children. Maclaren is offering a free repair kit to be ordered from the website; however parents are finding it difficult to order the kit because of excess site volume. Maclaren is doing the best they can to repair their public image and stresses that parents stop using all of their make and model folding strollers until they receive a repair kit.

If you believe that your child has been harmed by a defective stroller please contact our experienced child safety attorneys to discuss your potential products liability case today.

Since the start of summer the Consumer Products Safety Commission has received numerous reports of injuries involving the popular but unsafe Yamaha Rhino All Terrain Vehicle. The reports name the 450, 660 and 700 models and many appear to involve rollovers at low speeds on level terrain. Nearly 60 fatalities and other serious injuries including head and neck injuries, and injuries to limbs that require amputation have been documented by the CPSC.

The CPSC urges all Yamaha owners to install half doors, additional passenger handholds, rear wheel spaces and remove the rear anti-sway bar. Consumers can visit their local dealers to have their vehicles modified free of charge. The CPSC urges that consumers

• Drive with safety in mind and recommends:


• Wear their seat belt properly every time,


• Strap on their helmet every time,


• Follow on-product warnings,


• Never remove the half-doors,


• Never allow a child younger than 16 to drive,


• Never allow a child to be a passenger if he/she is unable to place both feet on the floorboard with his/her back against the seat, and


• Only operate off-road--the Rhino is not designed for use on public roads or paved surfaces.

Continue reading "CPSC Reminds ATV Riders to Ride Safe this Summer" »

Skywalker Holdings LLC in corporation with the CPSC has voluntarily recalled 60,000 13 foot square trampolines. The trampolines are being recalled because the straps that support the top of the trampoline enclosure can fail which would collapse the enclosure and create a potential fall hazard.

The recall pertains to the Skywalker Holdings 13-foot square trampoline and enclosure combo that was sold at specialty stores and major retailers nationwide from January 2007 to February 2009. The combo sold between $400 and $600.

Continue reading "60,000 Trampolines Recalled due to Enclosure Defect" »

A bystander who is injured as a result of a defective product might find it easier to contest their claim in Pennsylvania court. The current laws of Pennsylvania make it difficult for an injured victim to prove their case if the victim was not operating the defective product. Pennsylvania liability laws clearly state that if an intended user of a defective product is injured a claim can be made; however there is a gray area. There is no clear law or standard that protects a bystander from a defective product.

There is talk that the law will be rewritten to clearly define the responsibility of a manufacturer when a bystander is injured by a defective product. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is currently reviewing the law but many in the legal community predict that the Court will adopt a more comprehensible set of product liability laws.

Continue reading "Changes Coming for Pennsylvania Products Liability Law" »

Yamaha Motor Corp. issued a recall of more than 120,000 Yahama Rhino ATVs. All Rhino 450 and 660 model vehicles are being recalled for repairs intended to prevent accidents that have resulted in 46 confirmed deaths and hundreds of injuries. These Yamaha Rhinos suffer from inherent design flaws that make them unstable and susceptible to low-speed rollovers.

Due to major safety concerns stemming from 21 recalls of over 4 million cribs, federal regulators are pushing tougher safety standards on cribs. Toys "R" Us has already decided to no longer sell drop-side cribs, the design affected most by recalls. The recalled cribs have attributed to at least five deaths and multiple cases of infants where trapped by parts of the cribs. The hazardous gaps can be created by malfunctioning spring pegs, loose or broken locking pins or broken wooden slats. Drop side cribs have seen the most recalls in the past two years.

Reusing and purchasing used cribs can also be problematic because the cribs are not designed to take the wear and tear of many years and problems can arise from reassembly. To maximize the safety of your child purchase a crib with stationary sides and periodically check the crib for any loose or broken parts. For a safer alternative drop side cribs consider purchasing a drop-gate crib, where the top six inches of the crib fold down for easier access to the infant.

A Chicago Tribune investigation has found evidence of many popular child safety seats failing when involved in a front end collision. Reports were found buried among thousands of pages of test reports on the safety of 2008 model year vehicles. The tests were conducted to test the safety of the vehicles and not the child safety seats which is why the reports weren't published and in many instances the manufacturers were not informed of the results. Nearly half of the seats tested were removed from the base and the infant propelled upside down and face-first into the front seat of the car; a serious and particularly fatal unreported manufacturing defect. Two seats were found to be flawed that they were recalled and the manufacturer has changed the way it evaluates its child safety seats.

Child safety seats are routinely tested on a sled bench which is supposed to simulate a head on collision. The NHTSA test videos show time and time again the infant's head striking the front seat of a car. The child safety seats are also not routinely tested in side-impact scenarios but they fail in those circumstances as well.

Fortunately the new U.S. Secretary of Transportation is taking measures to better regulate the safety of our children in car seats and make crash test reports more available to the public. Companies have already begun to install seats on the test sleds for a better measure of how the car seat will perform in an automobile. Consumer advocate groups are pushing for the Government to follow
Europe's testing standards and rate vehicles on the safety they provide specifically to children.For more on the Chicago Tribune Investigation and access to the test videos please visit this link.

The RECARO Company is recalling Signo child restraint assemblies manufactured from February until September 2008 due to defective restraint system. The metal adjuster that controls the tightness of the harness may slip and cause the harness to loosen.

If a crash were to occur during a seat malfunction the child would not be properly restrained and serious or fatal injuries may occur. The RECARO Company will notify owners and replace any defective seats free of charge. If you have purchased a Signo restraint and have not been notified of any recall be sure to contact RECARO at 1-888-473-2290

Continue reading "Child Safety Seats Recalled due to Malfunctioning Restraint" »

96,000 cribs manufactured by Jardine Enterprises have been recalled because the wooden slats can break posing a serious entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants. The cribs were sold at KidsWorld, Geoffrey Stores, Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us nationwide from September 2005 until April 2009 for approximately $200 and $330. This recall is an expansion on recalls by Jardine in June 2008 and January 2009.When the wooden slats on the crib break a dangerous gap is created. Infants can become trapped in the gap and if positioned the correct way can begin to strangle themselves. In one third of the incidents reported the slat broke while the child was in the crib. If you own this crib please stop using it immediately and contact Jardine for a full credit toward the purchase of a new crib.

To find out if your crib is listed in the recall use the chart below to match the model and date code to your crib. The date code and model number can be found printed on the label located on the inside of the bottom rail of the headboard or footboard.

Continue reading "Jardine Annouces Crib Recall due to Entrapment and Strangulation Hazards" »

The Evenflo Company has voluntarily recalled nearly 100,000 high chairs due to falling and choking hazards. The chairs were sold under the brand name Majestic at major stores nationwide including Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Burlington Coat Factory, Shopko and Walmart.com. The chairs were sold for anywhere between $80 and $110 from January 2006 through May 2007.

The Evenflo Company has voluntarily recalled nearly 100,000 high chairs due to falling and choking hazards. The chairs were sold under the brand name Majestic at major stores nationwide including Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Burlington Coat Factory, Shopko and Walmart.com. The chairs were sold for anywhere between $80 and $110 from January 2006 through May 2007.

Plastic caps and metal screws located on both sides of the chair can loosen and unexpectedly fall out. Such an incident will cause the seatback to fall back or detach completely from the high chair. Children sitting in the seat at that time can fall out or collide with other objects and suffer numerous injuries. Detached caps and screws also pose a potential choking hazard to small children.

Evenflo has received more than 1,000 reports of plastic caps and screws falling out of the high chair and 140 reports of the seatback reclining, falling or detaching. Of the 140 seat failure reports almost 100 reports indicated injuries from bumps, bruises, cuts, abrasions and broken bones.

Only high chairs manufactured before January 23, 2007 are affected by the recall. If you own this chair stop using it immediately and contact Evenflo for a free repair kit.

Consumers should check the white label on the seatback for the following model numbers named in the recall:

30001395A

3001583

3001633A

3001669

3001700A

3001713

3001713A

3001730A

3001732

3001732A

3001733

3001742

3001742A

3001756

Continue reading "Evenflo Recalling 95,000 Majestic High Chairs" »

If you own a Britax Frontier Model child safety seat, stop using it immediately. Britax is recalling Fronteir models manufactured between April 1 and September 18, 2008 because the harness straps can become detached from the metal rod on the back of the seat if they are loosened one strap at a time. Such a serious event will lead to children being improperly restrained immensely increasing the risk of injury in the event of even a small crash. Registered owners will be mailed a repair kit and non-registered users must contract Britax at 1-704-409-1700 and can also check the Britax website.

Models Affected by the Recall:

Model E9L54E7 - Frontier Red Rock

Model E9L54H6 - Frontier Rushmore

Model E9L54H7 - Frontier Pink Sky

Model E9L54M6 - Frontier Canyon

Model E9L5490 - Frontier Sahara