Personal Injury Law

Illinois attorney general urges no more sales of crib bumpers

The State of Illinois?s attorney general Lisa Madigan recognizes the suffocation risk that crib bumpers pose to infants and is urging the trade group that represents makers of baby products to tell its members to stop manufacturing and selling crib bumpers. Federal regulators have begun to examine the safety of bumper pads in response to a Chicago Tribune investigation last month. Federal regulators are now reopening cases where babies have died from suffocating against the dangerous crib bumpers. Illinois attorney general Lisa Madigan announced that she wants to be proactive and wants to halt the manufacture and sale of the bumper pads so that the babies are not unnecessarily exposed to potentially dangerous products while the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is working on completing its investigation.

Illinois deputy chief of staff for the attorney general stated that allowing dangerous products to be purchased while known to be unsafe is a recipe for disaster, putting babies at risk. This is why Illinois attorney general Madigan?s office sent a letter to Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association asking the trade group to direct its members to stop making and selling bumper pads, which wrap around the inside of a crib and tie to crib slats. Babies subject to this can suffocate because they lack the motor skills and strength to turn their heads if they roll against a pad that blocks their breathing.

Madigan stressed the importance of the request because product recalls are often ineffective in alerting parents to hazards. She wants to stop the hazardous products before entering homes in the first place. An example pointed out was the drop-side cribs, which were recalled as early as 2007. However, only last month did the Consumer Product Safety Commission ban cribs altogether with the drop-side cribs. Officials are concerned that parents were allowed to purchase faulty cribs for several years and many people likely continue to use them.

Follow the link to visit the Illinois attorney general webpage that explains the crib safety alert.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog on January 13, 2011 (boomark / email).