Florida Window Blinds Injury Attorney
Most of us do not think about the serious risks posed by common features of a home, including window blinds. Yet window blinds can be extremely hazardous to young children, and those injuries can range widely in terms of type and severity. In some cases, young children can sustain fatal injuries in their own homes or other premises as a result of getting entangled in window blinds. Indeed, according to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “despite existing voluntary safety standards for window blinds, these products continue to pose an injury risk to young children.” Between 1990 and 2015, that study showed that nearly 17,000 kids under the age of 6 required treatment in emergency departments for window blind injuries, underscoring the need to take preventive measures and to hold window blind manufacturers and other potential parties accountable.
Our Florida window blind injury attorneys can speak with you today about your case.
How Do Window Blind Accidents Happen?
Window blind accidents involving young children can occur in several different ways, including the following:
- Child hit by or struck by window blinds, which usually results in cuts or bruises (accounts for nearly 50 percent of all window blind injury cases); and
- Entanglement injuries, which can result in a child being strangled by the blind cords (entanglement injuries account for about 12 percent of all identified window blind injuries among children).
According to the AAP study, more than 76 percent of all blind entanglement injuries involve the child becoming entangled in the operating cords of the blinds, while entanglement in the inner cords accounts for about 22 percent of all entanglement injuries. Even when parents or guardians take steps to prevent their young children from accessing blind cords, such as by typing or looping them, child injuries still occur and kids become entangled in the blinds.
Child Injury Deaths from Window Blind Entanglement
The AAP study also revealed that more than 67 percent of all entanglement injuries resulted in the child’s death. To be sure, from 1990 to 2015, a total of 271 children were killed by window blind entanglement. According to the study, most window blind entanglement accidents occur while a child is supposed to be sleeping or napping, and thus the parent is not engaged in constant supervision. These types of accidents have also occurred while children are actively playing, and while they are watching television.
Entanglement injuries are so dangerous because they are silent, and parents cannot often hear the child struggling.
Liability for Window Blind Injuries in Florida
Designers, manufacturers, and retailers of window blinds may be liable for injuries or fatalities affecting kids. According to a report from NPR, window blind makers need to acknowledge the serious risks of window blinds and take action to design, make, and sell cordless blinds.
Contact a Florida Window Blind Injury Attorney
Do you need assistance filing a window blind lawsuit after a serious child injury? One of the experienced Florida product liability lawyers at our firm can speak with you today about your case. Contact Halpern Santos & Pinkert, P.A. to learn more about the services we provide.
