Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, Health Canada, and Stork Craft Manufacturing, Inc. of British Columbia, Canada announced the largest crib recall in U.S. history today, adding fire to a growing push for the ban of drop-side cribs, which have been the cause of numerous safety recalls. The latest recall involves 2.1 million drop-side cribs manufactured under the Stork Craft label, including about 150,000 units bearing the Fisher-Price brand name.

The cribs may be unsafe and even deadly, the CPSC warned, adding that it is aware of 110 incidents in which the drop-side mechanism detached from the trip, causing causing several children to become injured and, in a few cases, killed. Four children died after becoming wedged in a space between the crib mattress and the partially detached drop side. 20 falls from cribs were reported, causing injuries such as bumps, bruises, and concussion.

According to the CPSC, the cribs involved in all of the incidents has plastic drop-side hardware that was either broken or missing, or had faulty or broken hardware, such as deformed “claws,” connectors, tracks, flexible tab stops, spring clips, and stripped screw. In some cases, the drop side had been installed upside down.

Crib owner Michele Witte told CBS that she thought her 10-month old son Tyler was asleep in his crib. But went she went to check on him, she was devastated by what she found.

“I just fell to my knees and I started screaming,” Witte told CBS.

The drop side of the crib became partially detached, creating a “death trap” in which the child had his head stuck between the side rail and the headboard.

“To see the horrific sight of him strangled between the headboard and side rail of his crib was just horrifying to me,” Witte said.

Unfortunately, Witte is but one of many North Americans whose children have been harmed by defective cribs. The CPSC knows of dozens of deaths involving drop-side cribs that have occurred in the last 10 years. In just the last 2 years, the CPSC has recalled about 5 million cribs, most of which had drop sides.

For more information and pictures, please read the full recall announcement.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 3:12 pm and is filed under News, product liability, recalled products, safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.