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Charleston, West Virginia, Lawyers for Injured Children

A serious injury can rob a child or teen of a bright future. Instead of a tomorrow filled with hope and promise, an injured child may face a lifetime of disability and pain.

At Freeman & Chiartas, we understand that when a child is injured, the entire family faces emotional and financial hardship through loss of work, medical bills and stress placed upon parents, siblings and other loved ones.

SAFETY RECALL ALERT 

Dorel Asia Recalls To Replace Cribs; Pose Strangulation and Suffocation Hazards
One infant death reported, 10 injuries to infants

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Dorel Asia SRL, of Barbados, is announcing a voluntary recall to replace drop side and non-drop side cribs that pose suffocation and strangulation hazards to infants and toddlers. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs until replacement kits are obtained and installed.

Name of Product: Dorel Asia cribs

Units: About 635,000

Distributor: Dorel Asia SRL, of Barbados

Hazard: The drop side hardware can fail causing the drop side to detach from the crib. When the drop side detaches it creates a space in which an infant or toddler can become entrapped and suffocate or strangle. In addition, the recalled cribs can pose a serious entrapment and strangulation hazard when a slat is damaged. This can occur while the crib is in use, in storage, being put together, taken apart or reassembled; or during shipping and handling.

Reports: CPSC and Dorel Asia SRL received a report of the death of 6-month old child from Cedar Rapids, Iowa who became entrapped and strangled in a crib after the drop side hardware broke. The crib continued to be used after the parents tried to repair the drop side themselves. CPSC and Dorel Asia received reports of 31 drop side incidents. In six of those incidents, children were entrapped between the drop side and crib mattress. Three children suffered from bruises as a result of the entrapment. In addition, CPSC and Dorel Asia received reports of 36 incidents of slat breakage, including seven reports of bruises and scratches to children and two reports of entrapment that resulted in no injury.

Description: The following Dorel Asia cribs are involved in the recall:

RECALL ALERT- 50 million blinds recalled as strangulation hazard

The United States  government and the window covering industry on recalled more than 50 million Roman-style shades and roll-up blinds because of the risk children may be strangled by the cords.The Consumer Product Safety Commission said five deaths and 16 near-strangulations from Roman shades have been reported since 2006, while three deaths connected to roll-up blinds have been reported since 2001.

Roman shades can become dangerous, the CPSC said, if a child's neck gets stuck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind, or if the cord gets wrapped around a child's neck.

Roll-up blinds pose a strangulation threat if the lifting loop slides off the side of the blind and a child's neck becomes entangled on it, or if a child neck's gets between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material.

The commission and the industry urged parents to examine all shades and blinds in the home and make sure they have no accessible cords. They also advised parents not to place cribs, beds or other furniture close to windows because children can climb on the furniture and reach the cords. Cordless window coverings are recommended for all homes where children live or visit.

Several major retailers, including Wal-Mart, JCPenney and Pottery Barn, are also participating in the recall.

Consumers can obtain free retrofit kits for Roman shades and roll-up blinds online at http://www.windowcoverings.org or by calling the Window Covering Safety Council toll-free at 1-800-506-4636. For more information see www.cpsc.gov.

Simplicity cribs being recalled

To read more about the recall click here.

ALERT!
Two infant deaths have led to the recall of about 24,000 Amby Baby Motion Beds -- hammock-like beds marketed to parents of fussy babies with colic or reflux.
 
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that the side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock can cause an infant to roll and become trapped or wedged against the hammock's fabric or mattress pad, posing a suffocation risk to babies.
 
The beds, made by Amby Baby USA of Minneapolis, look somewhat like a baby swing, but have mesh and fabric sides, resembling a hammock.
 
For more details or for a list of other product recalls, visit http://www.cpsc.gov
 

TOP 20 BIGGEST CHILDREN’S PRODUCT RECALLS OF 2009

Injuries Among Children and Adolescents

Injury and violence are serious threats to the health and well-being of children and adolescents in the United States. Children and adolescents are at high risk for many injuries that can lead to death or disability. Through research and a range of activities, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), The World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF are working to protect young Americans from the
threat of injury.

• Child Maltreatment
Each year, hundreds of thousands of children suffer abuse or neglect. In most cases, the abuser is someone known to the child - a parent, family member, teacher, or regular care giver. Survivors are at increased risk for smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, suicide, and other negative health outcomes.

• Child Passenger Safety
Motor vehicle injuries are the greatest public health problem facing children today. In fact, they are the leading cause of death among children in the United States.

• Fireworks-Related Injuries
All fireworks are dangerous, especially to children.

• Playground Injuries
Each year in the United States, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries.

• Poisonings
Children, especially those under age 6, are more likely to have unintentional poisonings than older children and adults. Adolescents are also at risk for poisonings, both intentional and unintentional.

• Residential Fire-Related Injuries
Children ages 4 years and younger are among those at highest risk for residential fire deaths and injuries.

• Suicide
Suicide rates among youth remain unacceptably high. It is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15 to 24.

• Traumatic Brain Injury
Among children ages 0 to 14 years, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) result in an estimated 400,000 emergency department visits each year.

• Water Safety
Drowning is the second leading cause of injury death among children 14 years and younger.  And for every child who drowns, three receive emergency department care for non-fatal submersion injuries.

• Young Drivers
Two out of five deaths among U.S. teens are the result of a motor vehicle crash.

• Youth Violence
Youth violence typically involves children, adolescents, and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24. The young person can be the victim, the perpetrator, or both. Youth violence includes aggressive behaviors such as verbal abuse, bullying, hitting, slapping, or fist fighting

Below are links to national or international organizations that provide detailed information about the types of injury and violence that pose the greatest threat to American youth and how you can protect the ones you love.

http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/
http://www.usa.safekids.org/
http://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/
http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/child/en/

We know that when an accident happens, lives are forever changed; daily routines are disrupted and simple pleasures become chores. That is why we have dedicated our careers to helping families with injured children obtain the financial compensation they deserve.

Our attorneys, Bruce Freeman and Gregory Chiartas, have more than 50 years of combined experience helping people recover just compensation for their injuries or losses. We are experienced trial attorneys and have recovered millions of dollars in jury awards and settlements on behalf of victims and their families.

If your child has been injured through the fault of another, please contact us. Affordability is not an issue for our clients as our fees and expenses are paid from money we obtain for you. In the unlikely event that there is no recovery, you pay nothing. We would be glad to explain in detail how this works ... just give us a call. There is no charge for an initial consultation. Get more information about keeping your child safe from accidents by visiting our accident prevention page.