Blinds and Shades with Pull Cords, Exposed Inner Cords and Exposed Lifting Loops Risk Strangulation for Children in Tennessee
A voluntary recall for Oval Roll-up Blinds without release clips and all Woolrich Roman Shades, imported by Lewis Hyman, Inc. of Carson, California, has been announced by the CPSC due to the potential risk of strangulation to young children. About 4.2 million of the blinds and 600,000 of the Roman Shades have been sold nationwide. To see pictures of the blinds and shades, visit the CPSC website. (Specific web address posted below.)
The roll-up blinds were sold from January 1999 through December 2003 from between 6 and 20 dollars. They were sold at several retail stores nationwide. The Roman Shades were sold exclusively at Target stores from March 2006 to December 2009 at a cost between 25 and 43 dollars.
The oval roll-up blinds specifically create a risk of strangulation because the lifting loops can slide easily off the side of the blind, exposing a loose loop. The Roman Shade poses a similar risk in which strangulation can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind. A child can also get entangled by pulling the cord out and wrapping it around his/her neck.
The risk of strangulation presented by these blinds and shades implicates a possible design defect, especially since the risk of strangulation can be cheaply mitigated by inclusion of plastic release clips. Due to the potential design defects, at least two strangulation deaths have been reported to the CPSC. A one-year-old child in Maine became entangled and died when the lift cord loop of the roll-up blind had fallen into his portable crib. Another fatality occurred in October 2008 when a toddler from Arkansas got his head caught between the inner cord and the cloth of the backside of a Roman shade.
The CPSC advises purchasers/users to check the backside of the roll-up blinds to determine if they have release clips. If they do not have these clips, stop using the blinds immediately. Consumers are also encouraged to stop using Roman shades altogether.
If an unfortunate occurrence has tragically affected a member of your family due to a defect in a blind or shade, contact an experienced Tennessee products liability attorney at Baker Associates to receive a free consultation regarding you and your family’s legal rights. Dial 866-853-2888.
Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09324.html
