Product recalls may include dangerous and defective automotive products, toys containing lead and defective furniture. Parents in Chicago, Illinois, should pay attention to recalls in order to keep their families safe from such dangerous products. The manufacturer, on the other hand, should continue informing consumers about the recalled product.
For example, Lane Furniture Company pulled out of market 12 million cedar chests in 1996. The recalled cedar chests were produced from 1912 to 1987. Reportedly, six children were trapped inside the chest, became suffocated and eventually died. In 2000, the Furniture Company and CPSC renewed the recall after receiving reports of another suffocation death and two near fatalities. Recently, two more children, aged 8 and 7, died after becoming trapped in the antique furniture.
Consequently, consumer experts are urging American families to check their homes for the recalled cedar chest. Given that the 12 million recalled units were large, some consumers may have kept the dangerous product and passed it on to their next generation. However, the executive director of Kids in Danger, an organization promoting product safety, asserted that it is still the responsibility of the manufacturer to keep informing people about the dangerous product. She said that the company needs to use all mediums to reach those people and educate them about the recalled cedar chest.
Manufacturing companies should address not only the quality of the product but also its safety to consumers. Although most companies are generally concerned about profit, the safety of the consumers, particularly children, should be their top priority. Otherwise, any defective product-related injury or death could be their legal liability.
Chicago product liability attorneys know a tragic death due to a dangerous product is devastating. If that is the case, the victim’s death due to an unsafe product may give rise to product liability claims. The lawsuit may not only recover compensation, but may remind manufacturers about their responsibility to the consumers.
Source: NBC News, “Child deaths are tragic reminder that products pose risk long after recall,” Lisa A. Flam, Jan. 16, 2014