North County San Diego Injury Lawyers
Now that Thanksgiving is over and the holiday season is in full swing, it is more important than ever for parents, guardians, and other family members and friends to be aware of dangerous toys that could result in child injuries. While we should not have to worry about product defects when we visit a retail store in San Marcos or elsewhere in San Diego County to shop for Christmas or Hanukkah gifts for kids, it is necessary to know that a variety of children’s products may pose injury risks. According to a recent report from CBS News, the consumer safety group World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) has just released its 2019 list of toys that could injure kids.
WATCH List of 2019 Hazardous Toys
Just because a product poses an injury risk does not necessarily mean it will be subject to a recall. As such, it is important to know about recalled children’s products in addition to toys that have not been recalled but could cause injuries. Often, children’s products are not recalled until someone gets hurt. Many product recalls occur as a result of a marketing error, or a failure to warn. For example, if a toy maker fails to warn consumers about certain risks associated with using a product (or even fails to warn about risks associated with using the product in an improper but foreseeable manner), anyone who is injured may be able to file a product defect claim.
What are some of the toys that could be dangerous or defective this holiday season? The WATCH list includes the following:
- Nerf Ultra One, which is a dart gun that shoots darts with enough force that it could result in eye injuries;
- Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog, which has quills that could result in a choking incident;
- Bunchems Bunch’n Build, which has plastic parts that could get caught in a child’s hair;
- Yeti, which has hair that can come detached and could result in a choking injury;
- Nickelodeon Frozen Treats Slime, which is similar enough to edible foods that a child could ingest it and sustain an injury from the harmful chemicals;
- Anstoy Electric Toy Gun, which could be mistaken for a deadly weapon;
- Diecast School Bus, which can pose a choking risk to young children;
- Pogo Trick Board, which can result in fall-related injuries and traumatic brain injury;
- Power Rangers Electronic Cheetah Claw, which could be used as a weapon; and
- Viga Pull Along Caterpillar, which has long cords of about 24 inches that could result in strangulation.
Learning More About Toy Product Injuries
Toys cause injuries to consumers more often than you might think. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) provides some of the following statistics:
- 13 toy-related deaths happened in 2017 involving kids under the age of 15;
- Riding toys are responsible for more than 50 percent of child deaths;
- More than 250,000 toy-related injuries requiring treatment in an emergency department occur every year;
- About 44% of all toy-related injuries result in injuries to the head and face;
- Almost 40%of all toy-related injuries treatment in emergency departments involved lacerations, contusions, or abrasions;
- Nearly 75% of toy-related nonfatal injuries happen to kids under the age of 15; and
- Approximately 95% of patients with toy injuries are treated and released from the hospital.
Contact a Product Defect Lawyer in San Marcos
In general, when a person sustains an injury as a result of a defective product, it may be possible to file a product liability claim. An experienced San Marcos product defect attorney at our firm can speak with you today about your case. Contact the Walton Law Firm for more information.
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