Drop-Side Crib Recalls By Federal Regulators Due to Death and Injury

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a recall on over 2 million drop-side cribs. Drop-side cribs are baby cribs whose sides raise and lower in order to make it easier for parents to lift their baby out of the crib. However, numerous reports injury or deaths resulting from repeated malfunctions of these movable sides has led to the widespread recall of drop-side cribs.

According to reports, these cribs’ product defect seems to result from a product design defect that allows the baby to slip into the gap that opens up when the movable sides separate from the crib. There have been reports of over 30 babies in the U.S. alone who have died as a result of the malfunctioning cribs and over 250 consumer reports of defective sides during the span of 2000 to 2009. The inherent dangers in these types of cribs has prompted a spokesperson from Kids in Danger, a Chicago-based advocacy group, to warn parents not to use a drop-sided crib.

A 2007 expose by the Chicago Tribune can be credited with first exposing the dangers that can result from the crib’s product defect. To date there have been approximately 9 million cribs recalled. For more information on the specific cribs included in the recall, visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website.

Before the end of 2010 new safety standards are expected to be in place that would require crib manufacturers to include parts that would allow the crib to be assembled in more than one way and to clearly mark parts that may prove to be a problem. For some helpful crib safety tips, see the CPSC’s crib safety guidelines.

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling Illinois product defect lawsuits for over 30 years, serving those areas in and around Cook County, including Barrington, Arlington Heights, Downers Grove, and Orland Park.