Every Iowa home contains dozens of products which could injure children. If these products are defectively manufactured or designed, they could fail to work as expected, and your child could end up in the hospital as a result. Other products are lacking necessary warnings or instructions, so you are unable to protect your loved ones.
Call Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C. after an accident. Our Iowa personal injury attorneys can review whether you have a right to seek financial compensation. A manufacturer or other defendant might need to pay compensation when the product fails to work as planned.
Reach out today. We have offices in Iowa City and Waterloo, but we service the entire state. One of our lawyers can come out to meet you at a convenient location if circumstances warrant, and we provide convenient, 24/7 support to our clients.
Defective Highchairs
Highchairs are convenient for parents, who can pull the highchair up to the table. Unfortunately, some highchairs are poorly designed. The legs might be too far apart or too close together, which render the chair unstable. Other chairs might collapse due to missing pieces or weak materials.
Dangerous Toys
Toys are constantly being recalled because they create a hazard for young children. Often, the greatest risk is that a piece of the toy will break off and your child will swallow it, possibly choking in the process. You can protect your child by watching the most recent recalls but also checking toys to see that a piece hasn’t broken loose.
Deadly Cribs
A crib might seem like a safe piece of furniture. However, they pose many problems which can result in a baby’s injury:
- Strangulation. Some cribs are designed with the slats too far apart, allowing a baby to get its head wedged in between them.
- Choking. Your baby might swallow a chunk of the foam mattress. According to the National Safety Council, more than 1,000 children under the age of 4 died of suffocation or choking, and most of these accidents occur in the sleep environment.
- Laceration or puncture wounds. Many cribs have metal pieces which could slice into your baby’s skin or even poke out an eye.
- Toppling over. Some cribs are unstable in how they are designed or manufactured. It could topple over, especially if your baby stands up and shakes the slats, which is a common occurrence as babies grow.
Bookcases, Chest of Drawers, and Entertainment Systems
Any piece of furniture which is taller than it is wide is at risk of toppling over. Even worse, a crawling toddler could grab onto the piece of furniture to hoist themselves to their feet. As they tug, the entire contraption could topple onto them.
Most bookcases come with a bracket you can use to anchor it to the wall. Unfortunately, your bookcase might not have a bracket, or the directions are not explicit that you should use one. Some bookcases come with a bracket but no screw.
Entertainment systems and chest of drawers are equally dangerous. They can knock your baby unconscious or even lead to death if they fall on top of a little one.
Household Cleaners and Chemicals
Many household cleaners are abrasive and dangerous. Parents should not leave laundry detergent, cleaning solutions, or bleach lying around for children to play with. However, the manufacturer could be at fault if the product is missing instructions or warnings, or if the product packaging is designed so that children can easily open the bottle.
Strollers
Many problems with a stroller can lead to injuries. For example, Stokke recently recalled a stroller because the parking brake was defective. That could lead to an injury if the stroller starts moving unexpectedly.
Children’s Clothing
Many items of clothing are also recalled each month. Clothing could be dangerous for many reasons:
- Flammable materials. Clothing should meet federal safety standards regarding flammability, but many items are sold which fail these standards. If an item catches on fire, your child could suffer horrifying burns.
- Buttons which detach. As with toys, a child could swallow a button which comes loose from a onesie or shirt. Your child can choke if they swallow it.
- Strangulation. Some clothing is too tight around the neck, which could lead to strangulation.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission maintains a page with the most recent recalls. You should stop using clothing that is recalled and follow instructions for a refund or replacement.
Defective Windows
Windows are a hidden hazard in many homes. The main risk is that your child will fall out of the window, especially from the second floor. Make sure that the locks work properly and that you don’t have furniture near the window, because a child could climb it and fall out.
Window blinds are also a real danger, including any blinds that have a cord. According to the Consumer Product Safety Council, 8 children die each year when they get tangled up with the cord.
We Can Help if Your Child is Injured
Some accidents are simply that—unfortunate events for which no one is to blame. But other accidents stem from products which have a dangerous or defective design. Other products are not manufactured properly, so they are dangerous.
Call our office. We want to know how your child was injured. We are available 24/7 for our clients, and we can jump in to inspect the product.
We strongly recommend you hang onto the product that caused the injury. Your first instinct might be to throw it away. But it’s easier to bring a successful claim if we can inspect the product. That step helps us identify a design defect or a weakness in the construction.
With a product liability case, we can seek the same compensation that we would if your child were hurt in a car accident—medical care, pain and suffering, and other damages.
Contact Us Today
Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C. helps parents protect their children by holding manufacturers accountable when they sell dangerous products. Call our office to schedule a consultation.