Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

As a personal injury lawyer in Chicago, I hope all parents take the following safety warning into consideration – now and in the future. Although Halloween is an annual night of fun, mixing flammable costumes with jack-o-lanterns can create serious safety hazards, especially for children.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says, “parents should look for flame-resistant costumes without baggy sleeves, long capes or billowing skirts that could catch fire on a nearby candle or cause a child to trip.” (AP, 10/28). The CPSC also recommends skipping the costume shoes and having your child wear his or her own, properly fitting footwear.

Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, the agency urges parents to “trim costumes and candy bags with reflective tape and to arm children with flashlights, so that they can be easily seen by passing cars.”

Finally, parents should examine candy after trick-or-treating to make sure all packages are sealed and do not appear to have been tampered with. The CPSC also advises watching out for small toys that could be a choking hazard for small children.

As a Chicago personal injury and product liability attorney, I strongly encourage all parents to stay on top of any product recalls, especially those involving infants and young children. Parents with the affected strollers should replace their strollers immediately in order to ensure the safety of their infant. Since the recalled strollers are models made before 2007, parents who received strollers from friends or family, or are using a stroller they purchased for an older child should make sure their stroller is not the affected model.

This week, Baby gear maker Graco recalled “about 2 million strollers after receiving reports of four infant strangulations in the strollers.” (Washington AP. 10/20). The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall mid last week, stating that the deaths occurred between 2003 and 2005.

According to the CPSC, the danger arises when an infant is not property strapped into the stroller. Without being properly secured, the infant “can slide through the opening between the stroller tray and the bottom of the seat,” which can cause the child to get caught and be strangled.

The strollers being recalled are older versions of the Graco Quattro Tour and MetroLite strollers, all made before 2007.

Continue reading "4 infant deaths prompt Graco stroller recall" »

Transportation officials say “the number of runway incidents that pose a danger of planes colliding dropped by half over the last 12 months.” (J. Lowy, Washington AP, 10/8).

During the federal budget year ending in September 6, 2010 saw only 6 incidents in which a plane was on the wrong runway or risked colliding with another plane as compared to 12 incidents last year. Even more promising, is the drop from 67 incidents in 2000.

Reducing runway incidents has been a top safety priority for FAA, and as a personal injury lawyer, I am pleased to see the dramatic drop in dangerous runway incidents.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been “mired for weeks in deliberation as it writes guidelines on what makes a product a "children's product." That guidance, expected Wednesday, is supposed to help sort out which products have to be tested under legislation passed by Congress over two years ago that requires rigorous safety checks for lead, chemicals, flammability and other potential dangers.” (9/29, J. Kerr, AP Washington).

This has elementary science teacher, among many others, up in arms because science kits used to get elementary kids interested in science may be a casualty as the cost of testing would outweigh the value of the product, and thus many companies would stop producing them all together, or raise prices so high that most elementary school budgets could not purchase these kits.

The reason behind the law requiring very stringent testing on materials such as lead, and chemicals is to ensure that the products are safe for children. Although there may be some adverse effects, the goal of the law is essential, and as a personal injury attorney in Chicago, I fully support comprehensive testing on children’s products.

Toy manufacturer Fisher-Price announced Thursday that it has “recalled about 10 million toys because they were dangerous to children.” (CNN Wire, 9/30). The toy manufacturer states that the recall involved just less than 3 million baby play areas with inflatable balls because of reports of choking.

The company ultimately discovered that a valve from the inflatable ball could detach from the ball and become a choking hazard. To date, just less than 50 incidents have occurred in the United States. These include 14 reports of the value being found in the child’s mouth, and 3 choking incidents. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.

The recall also affected more than 7 million tricycle. The recall was prompted by 10 incidents of cuts to children caused by a protruding part of the tricycle. 6 of these instances required medical attention.

Additionally, Fisher-Price also said it recalled “about 120,000 small car toys because of at least two reported cases of the wheels coming off, causing a choking hazard.” Along with the toys, the manufacturer further recalled several types of high chairs after reports of children being cut by the chair’s legs.

As a product liability attorney, I encourage all parents to take action immediately to ensure their children’s safety. Furthermore, always be attentive when young children are playing, especially when there is a choking potential caused by small pieces of toys. Customers can look on the Mattel website, or can call the Fisher-Price hot line at 800-432-5437 for additional information.