Child Injuries and Defective Products
Accident victims in and around Salt Lake City can count on the legal team at Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC. Our team of attorneys always fights diligently for clients, never backing down even against the most powerful of interests. Our concern is for accident victims and their loved ones, and that goes doubly so when the injured victim is a child.
With regard to the above, we want to focus on product liability lawsuits that hold negligent manufacturers and designers accountable when their goods harm children. This is unacceptable, especially since we have basic expectations when it comes to products that are made with children in mind.
Products for Children Ought to Be Safe
This is a basic assumption that most people have, and it's not something that's extraordinary or unexpected. If a product is designed for a child (especially a young child) to play with or use, it ought to be safe for the age group for which it is designed. Sadly, this is not always the case. Many manufacturers act negligently when designing, marketing, and distributing their products, which makes these items very dangerous.
Below are some of the ways in which products for children pose serious dangers and can lead to injury.
Choking Hazards and Very Young Children
Choking hazards are a major issue for products made for kids, particularly when there are small parts involved and/or the product is intended for babies and toddlers. When making products with removable parts for babies and toddlers, manufacturers should ideally make all parts larger than the hole in a cardboard paper towel tube; this size represents the throat and airways of a young child.
The Dangers of Sharp or Pointed Edges
Another major danger posed by products for children involves sharp or pointed edges. These can potentially cut or wound a child even when simply used normally. Young children should only have toys with rounded and soft edges, with materials that can't possibly break the skin or lead to scrapes or cuts.
Toxic or Otherwise Unsafe Materials
You may be surprised to find out that the product your child is using contains toxic materials, but this has occurred in the past on numerous occasions. The most notorious instances involve lead in the paint or other materials of a product. Lead poisoning can be slow to develop, and should lead be discovered in products your child is using, the manufacturers need to be held accountable.
The Potential for Serious Eye Injury
The film A Christmas Story includes the famous line “You'll shoot your eye out,” which is in reference to the main character's obsession with getting a BB gun. It's played for laughs in the film, but eye injuries from toys and children's products are nothing to laugh about. Whether it's a product with sharp edges or a toy with projectiles, any kind of potential eye injury needs to be taken seriously by the manufacturers and designers.
Electronics Can Cause Burns or Shocks
More and more products for children are like juvenile versions of adult electronics. This is great for easing kids into the new realities of tablets and smart phones, but poorly made products can pose a number of dangers, particularly where shocks and burns are concerned. If these products overheat or cause electrical injuries of any kind, the makers need to be taken to task.
Meet with Our Personal Injury Lawyers
For more information about defective product lawsuits and all of your legal rights in such cases, it's important that you contact our team of personal injury attorneys today. Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC will be here for you and your loved ones in your time of legal need.
