Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Child Accidental Injuries From Defective Toys
About 217,000 children suffer accidental injuries because of defective toys each year.
In fact, accidental childhood injury is a leading killer of children under age 14, and each year approximately 15 children die from a toy-related incident. According to a Safe Kids Worldwide Toy Safety Fact Sheet, more than 3 billion toys and games are sold in the United States each year.
Where can parents find information on recalls of toys and child products?
There are lots of resources available online on the safety status of toys and products for children.
- CPSC: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website has regularly updated information and pictures of recalled toys that may be harmful to children.
- Parents Magazine: An online database that provides resources for parents seeking information on defective toys and children’s products. The database has a comprehensive list of baby toys, kid toys, crib recalls, and clothing recalls. It includes photos of the item, the brand/manufacturer/company, a description including model numbers, and the problem or danger caused by each item that has been recalled. The database also has the date the item was recalled and where it was sold. Parents can also search the database by category.
- Safe Kids USA: A member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury. This global network has more than 450 coalitions in 16 countries where health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers help educate and protect families. Safe Kids Worldwide was created as a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C.
According to Safe Kids statistics, more than half of children in 2002 (54%) were injured by choking on small parts of toys. Latex balloons are the biggest culprit because they break into small pieces when they pop. Riding toys and unpowered scooters cause more injuries than any other toy group – an estimated 71,500 in 2002. Children can also suffer from strangulation, burns, drowning and poisoning while playing with toys.
Preparing for a Defective Toy Lawsuit
When parents want to pursue a product liability lawsuit because their child has been injured by a defective toy, they should follow these simple guidelines and gather all the necessary paperwork:
- Document the complete history of the item including where they bought it, how it was used, and how the injury happened.
- Keep the instruction booklet and warranty that was with the product as well as the date it was purchased.
- Document if the product was modified or changed in any way after it was manufactured.
- Describe the product, the manufacturer, distributor, the parts, any brochures or instruction booklet, technical information, manuals, catalogs, or ads.
- Purchase duplicate products for testing and use at the trial.
- Make sure you have the best Boston personal injury attorney at your side representing the interests of your injured child.
The Massachusetts personal injury law firm, Kiley Law Group, concentrates on defective products cases and other child injury cases.
Call today for a Free Consultation: 1-888-208-1695.
