Florida Crib Injury Attorney
Parents and caregivers should never have to worry that a child will sustain serious or fatal injuries while they are in their crib. However, such injuries occur with more frequency than many people expect. Indeed, cribs are recalled due to safety defects more often than parents and caregivers might think because they pose serious injury risks to young children. Even when a crib has not been recalled, it can still contain a hazardous design or a manufacturing defect, or can be marketed in a manner that fails to warn caregivers about risks associated with anticipated or foreseeable use of the product. If your child was injured in a crib accident, one of our Florida crib injury attorneys can speak with you today about your case.
Getting the Facts About Florida Crib Injuries
Crib injuries can be extremely serious, leading to debilitating and deadly injuries. Are some children at greater risk than others, and what types of injuries occur most often as a result of defective cribs? The following facts and figures come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):
- Between 1990 and 2008, a total of nearly 182,000 kids under the age of two required treatment in emergency departments for crib injuries, or injuries sustained in playpens or bassinets;
- Every year on average, nearly 10,000 children under the age of two sustain injuries in cribs, playpens, or bassinets that are serious enough to require treatment in emergency departments;
- Of cribs, playpens, and bassinets, cribs post the most serious risk of injury to young children, accounting for more than 83 percent of the above injuries (with playpens accounting for more than 12 percent and bassinets for more than 2 percent);
- Falls are the most common type of crib-related injury, and falls account for more than 66 percent of all injuries that require treatment in an emergency department; and
- Most common crib injuries are head and neck injuries (more than 40 percent) followed by fractures.
How to Prevent Florida Crib Injuries
Parents and caregivers can take steps to prevent crib injuries, such as:
- Ensure side latches cannot be released by the child;
- Check to make sure that the crib slats are not far enough apart that a child’s body part can get stuck;
- Avoid keeping blankets or soft toys in the crib that could lead to suffocation injuries;
- Make sure the crib is not anywhere near window blinds where the child can get stuck in the cord; and
- Be certain that there are no product recalls associated with the crib.
Filing a Florida Crib Injury Lawsuit
When a crib was defectively designed or manufactured, or was marketed in a manner that failed to warn parents or caregivers about injury risks associated with the product, it may be possible to file a product defect claim. Under Florida law, most product liability cases based on crib injuries must be filed within four years from the date of the injury.
Contact a Florida Crib Injury Attorney
If your child was injured in a crib, you should seek advice from a crib injury attorney in Florida as soon as possible to find out more about filing a claim for financial compensation against the maker of the crib or a retailer who sold the defective product. One of our Florida crib injury lawyers can help. Contact Halpern Santos & Pinkert, P.A. for more information about how our firm can assist you with your case.
