Every parent knows that children are naturally creative and inquisitive. Children have a proclivity for examining their toys, determining what should not be done with them, and then doing that very thing. This issue is the main reason for product safety recalls. Of course, corporations uninterested in following standard safety protocols are often the culprits as well. Below are the super seven children’s toy recalls in recent years.
1. Yo-yo toys
Some toys on the market are designed to resemble a yo-yo—with one important additional feature. The ball returns to the user after extension due to the powerful spring and sticky string inside. The negative aspect of this toy is that the yo-yo, while being whirled around the heads of children for maximum extension, has a tendency to wrap around the necks of the users and cause near strangulation. On countless occasions, the children would have died if their parent or guardian had not happened to be nearby.
2. Action figures
Children love playing with action figures from their favorite movies. But many of these toys are made in China, a country that often uses illegal lead paint and extremely small magnets in children’s toy sets. Several children died from lead poisoning and dozens needed surgery to remove the magnets from their intestines before nine million of these deadly toys were recalled in 2007.
3. Beadwork
Some forms of children’s beadwork, while intended to be a no-mess way for children to let their creativity out, are actually toxic. When swallowed, the chemical coating metabolizes and turns into the drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate, a euphoriant used at nightclubs and parties. There have been multiple cases of children swallowing these beads and going into comas. More than four million of these toys were recalled in 2007.
4. Child-sized Ovens
This toy, designed to allow children to experience the joy of baking in a safe fashion, is not child-friendly as it purports to be. Child-sized ovens have been recalled multiple times after children suffered from burns while sticking their hands inside the oven opening. After having gotten her hand stuck in the oven, one girl required the amputation of a finger.
5. Water toys
One particular rubber pool toy is a fish-shaped projectile. A loop of elastic tubing shaped like a tongue comes out of its mouth, and is used to propel the fish across water. There have been many occasions where the tongue snapped off, causing children to suffer from skin lacerations.
6. Child-sized Hammocks
Children like to be able to imitate adults as often as possible. This hammock seemed to be perfect for helping children imitate mom or dad at rest. While the lack of spreader bars on this hammock makes for easy transport and storage, this feature also poses a hazard. Children can become caught and strangled in the rope netting when climbing in or out. There have been twelve documented cases of death from these hammocks.
7. Lawn Darts
These projectiles, designed to be thrown underhand at targets on the ground, caused more than 6,000 injuries and four deaths. After the darts were banned, the manufacturer produced a new model with a head shaped like a mushroom anchor and weighing three pounds. Needless to say, this version too was eventually banned.
If your child has been hurt by a defective or recalled toy, seek help from a legal professional who can determine if you have a product liabilty case.
Adams Law Firm provides personal injury law services in San Marcos, TX and the surrounding areas. They specialize in representing those injured by defective products, automobile accidents, and more. For more information, connect with them on Facebook.
