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Texas Product Liability Lawyers Concerned About Dangers From Roman Blinds, Roller Shades
As product liability lawyers representing victims of defective products in Texas, we’re constantly monitoring federal safety alerts about unsafe products. We thought that this recall would be one that many parents would be likely to miss. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is drawing attention to a massive recall of window blinds and shades by some of the country’s biggest retailers, because of strangulation hazards. The agency confirms that at least 8 deaths have been linked to children getting strangulated in blind cords, and there have been at least 16 near-strangulation incidents.
Retailers including Wal-Mart, Pottery Barn, and J.C. Penney will be pulling up roll-up blinds and Roman shades as part of the recall, which involves just about every Roman blind or roller shade in the market. The recall once again raises concerns about the safety of these products that so many Americans use in their homes without a second thought. As parents, we take great care when we buy cribs and beds for our kids, and thanks to the Great Toy Safety Scare of 2007, we inspect every Chinese-made toy with extra scrutiny. But, we don’t expect the blinds on our windows to be a possible hazard, and yet, these window coverings have been responsible for eight children killed in the recent past. According to the CPSC, every day in America, a child gets entangled in a blind cord. Fortunately, most of the time, these near misses end with parents or caregivers rescuing the child.
The CPSC assures us that it is working with the Window Covering Safety Council, to evaluate the need for stronger safety standards for these products. As parents and Texas product liability lawyers however, we would advise parents to not wait for these new standards to be enforced, but to act to make sure that their children are safe from any dangers from these cords.
- Consider installing cord-free windows in your home. If you already have window covers with cords, and can’t afford to change these, ask the manufacturer for a free repair kit. The CPSC website has separate news releases for each of the companies participating in the recall.
- Tuck the cord away from the reach of little hands.
- Never place cribs, baby beds, hammocks and other baby furniture near a window. A baby can easily get its neck entangled in the cord, with serious consequences.
The Texas product liability attorneys at the Kahn Law Firm represent victims injured by defective products, including toys, cribs, play yards and other children’s products, defective automobiles and tires, defective medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs and other products. Contact us at 713-999-6549 or 1-844-301-KAHN if you have any questions.
