While parents expect the toys they buy to be safe, toy-related injuries are actually on the rise. In fact, a recent study found a 40 percent jump in the toy injury rate from 1990 to 2011. Given that the holiday season accounts for more than 65 percent of all toy sales during the year, it is important to be aware of any recalls for potentially hazardous or unsafe toys.
Safety issues with toys are often the result of manufacturing, design, and warning defects. A failure to warn about a potential choking hazard, inappropriate age recommendations, insufficient pre-market testing, and violations of regulatory standards can create an unreasonable risk of injury or even death.
Toy Injury Statistics
A child experiences a toy-related injury every three minutes in the United States and 80 percent of all toy-related injuries happen at home. In 2015 alone, there were 11 toy-related deaths and 254,200 toy-related injuries. The toy most likely to lead to an injury is non-motorized riding toys, particularly scooters.
Some of the most common causes of injuries include:
- Choking or strangulation hazards
- Falls from non-motorized riding toys
- Toxic chemical exposure
- Ingestion of a foreign body
- Collision
- Fire hazards
- Mechanical hazards
According to The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), some of the most common types of toy-related non-fatal injuries are:
- Lacerations
- Contusions and abrasions
- Strains and sprains
- Fractures
- Concussions
- Puncture wounds
- Internal injuries
- Dislocation of joints
- Burns
- Eye injuries, including blindness
Toy Recalls
The CPSC is the agency responsible for issuing recalls for consumer products that pose an unreasonable risk of injury or death. On average, there are approximately two recalls per week for children’s products. In the time period from January 2015 to November 2016, 19 toys were recalled due to safety defects. You can check the CPSC recall list here.
The safety group World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) released its 2016 list of the most dangerous toys, which includes the following:
- Peppa Pig’s Muddy Puddles Family
- Kids Time Baby Children’s Elephant Pillow
- Slimeball Slinger
- Banzai Bump N’ Bounce Body Bumpers
- Nerf Rival Apollo XV-700 Blaster
- The Good Dinosaur Galloping Butch
- Peppy Pups
- Flying Heroes Superman Launcher
- Baby Magic Feed and Play Baby
- Warcraft Doomhammer
Although recalls are the primary tool for removing a hazardous product from the market, they are not that effective in addressing unsafe products that may already be in the hands of children. Based on a report from the organization Kids in Danger, only 10 percent of recalled children’s products are returned or corrected.
How Our Alabama Product Injury Lawyers Can Help You
If your child has been injured by a defective toy or product, the product injury attorneys Belt, Bruner & Barnett, P.C can help. Our talented team of attorneys has extensive experience handling various types of product liability cases and can explain your legal options for pursuing compensation. We fight for the maximum available compensation in every case and have obtained a settlement or verdict in excess of $1 million in more than 57 cases.
To find out how we can help, contact us today at (205) 933-1500. We have won more than $200 million in settlements and jury verdicts. To find out more about how we can best represent you, learn how our Montgomery product liability lawyers, Mobile product liability lawyers, Huntsville product liability lawyers, and Birmingham product liability lawyers from our law firm can help you.
