Government Agency to Issue Warnings on Deadly Baby Slings and Carriers
In so many ways, new parents often have their hands full, as caring for a baby is always a handful. For some multitasking parents who are on the go, a baby sling is a useful contraption more convenient than a stroller when going out with their child.
But according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), baby slings/infant carriers can be hazardous and in some instances, deadly.
A number of deaths and serious injuries have been linked to the use of these products. Aside from babies falling from the carrier because of soft fabric slings, infants have reportedly suffocated because some baby slings’ curved design can cause a child to get smothered in the parent’s clothing.
Infantino’s “SlingRider” in particular, after having been recalled for defective plastic sliders on the sling’s strap is still a cause for concern for many consumers because of its curved design or “C-like” position which has yet to be recalled or even addressed.
Other dangerous baby sling defects include problems with the fasteners, stitching and shoulder straps which have caused infants falling from the sling. Since 1997 around a dozen sling or front-wearing baby carriers have been recalled.
The CPSC has announced that it will issue a general warning to the public but made no mention of any recalls.
For parents, there is nothing worse than losing a child. The pain will doubtless be doubled especially in instances where the baby accidentally got suffocated in an infant carrier or fell down because of the baby sling’s defects.
Under the law, parents whose babies died or got injured as a result of a defective or dangerously designed baby sling or infant carrier has the right to file either a wrongful death claim or personal injury lawsuit based on product liability.
The law on product liability provides that manufacturers, suppliers, and even retailers can be held liable for putting a defective and harmful product out to the market. Product liability includes:
• Manufacturing defects – Errors in the manufacturing process which may also involve poor quality materials or shoddy worksmanship
• Design defects – Even if the product is well manufactured, it is still considered dangerous or defective because of its inherently hazardous design
• Marketing defects – Also known as failure to warn defects – consumers can still get hurt by the product because of the absence of warnings or labels.
Tags: Product Liability
