Child Injuries from Defective Toys: Product Liability Law
Chanfrau & Chanfrau is a leading advocate for the injured here in Central Florida. Our lawyers will never back down whether facing an individual or a major company or party of influence. This is especially important when it comes to product liability lawsuits, which bring companies to task for making/marketing defective items that wind up injuring consumers. These kinds of injuries are especially tragic when the victims are children who are simply playing with their toys.
Toys for Children Should Be Safe
If children play with it, then the toy must be safe. This is such a basic assumption made by parents and caretakers, yet sadly, this is not always the case.
Some toys may be from a defective batch, meaning that an otherwise safe product entered the market with manufacturing defects. In other cases, a toy may be improperly designed from the outset, meaning that the product was never safe to begin with. In yet other cases, product testing may not have been performed, also leading to an unsafe product for children being on the market.
Whatever the case may be, it's never acceptable.
Potential Choking Hazards
One common issue related to unsafe toys is choking hazards. Small parts on action figures or dolls can be swallowed, which is why there are age ranges and age restrictions on many toys intended for children.
With babies and toddlers, all parts of a toy should be larger than a cardboard toilet paper tube. This size represents the child's mouth and throat, and so long as a part is bigger than that, the toy is generally safe for very young children.
Sharp or Pointed Edges
Another common issue with unsafe toys is sharp or pointed parts. These can lead to cuts or puncture wounds on a child even if the toy is generally handled as directed. Toys for babies and toddlers should be plush and rounded, free from any edges or points. For older children, similar concerns are taken into account, and the materials used for making these toys should not pose a significant hazard.
Unsafe Materials Used In Assembly
One would expect that the materials that a toy is made from are safe overall, but there are a number of cases in which toys are made of substances that are potentially hazardous. One such substance is lead, which could be found in the paint of a toy or in the plastic that the toy is made from.
Toy manufacturers should know better than to use harmful substances like lead in their products. Long-term exposure to lead can lead to serious health problems that have major repercussions on maturation and development.
Potential Eye Injuries
In the film A Christmas Story, everyone was concerned that the main character would shoot his eye out if he got a BB gun as a gift. While it's played for laughs in the movie, eye injuries are a potential hazard of any children's toy that has projectile objects.
BB guns and pellet guns of different kinds obviously pose a hazard of eye injury, but so do Nerf guns and other products whether they use relatively soft materials for their projectiles or not. Parents and caretakers need to be attentive about these kinds of toys.
Risks of Electric Shock and Burns
More and more children are playing with electronic devices designed just for them. Some of these toys, however, are not properly tested and may cause shocks or mild burns when used. These injuries are just as unacceptable as the others we have mentioned, and toy makers need to take extra care when making electronics just for kids.
Speak with Our Personal Injury Attorneys
For more information on your legal rights in a product liability lawsuit, it's important that you contact our personal injury law firm today. The legal team at Chanfrau & Chanfrau looks forward to your visit and helping you receive just compensation for any injuries sustained.
