The serious injury of one an 18-month-old from Pennsylvania has prompted Target to recall about 350,000 of its Woven Storage Trunks.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that the lid of the trunk can drop suddenly when released, posing a safety hazard to small children. They face a risk of strangulation when trying to open the trunks, or reach into them.
The injured child was trying to do just that when the lid of one trunk fell on her head, cutting oxygen to her brain, and living her with serious brain damage. The little girl’s family filed a lawsuit against Target in March. They claim Target advertised the trunk as appropriate for toy storage and encouraged parents to use them in that fashion, News Inferno reports.
The Target trunk does not meet CPSC recommendations. The trunk doesn’t meet industry standards for toy boxes either, which require a support to keep toy box lids from suddenly collapsing.
According to the CPSC, the incident involving the Pennsylvania child is not the only case of child injuries. There is another report of injuries that occurred when the storage trunks’ lids suddenly closed on a child.
The recall involves 14 models of storage trunks, including ones made of woven rattan, abaca or banana leaf with standard hinges that were sold in Target stores across the US. The trunks are about 1.1 feet in length, width and depth and come in brown or natural color.
The trunks were from February 2009 through April 2010 for between $50 and $130.
CPSC advises consumers to immediately stop using the recalled storage trunks and return them to any Target store for a full refund or replacement product.
