Baby strollers recalled because of dangers to children’s fingers

Kolcraft, one of the New Jersey’s and the nation’s largest manufacturers of baby cribs and strollers, has, along with the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), now had approximately 36,000 strollers recalled. The strollers have been recalled due to fingertip amputation and laceration hazards presented when such strollers are used.

No doubt the recall was prompted in part by the number of products liability lawsuits that the company would have faced had the strollers not have been taken off of the market. To date, the fingertips of three children were amputated by the strollers. Two adults also had their fingers smashed or severely lacerated due to a hinge mechanism that is used to lock and unlock the handlebars of the stroller.

Especially when it comes to products that were designed specifically for children, every safety precaution needs to be taken by manufacturers to insure that such products are safe. Safety warnings likely will not suffice as children will not always understand what such warnings indicate.

Manufacturers often rush products out into the market before such products are thoroughly tested for safety. The urge is for companies to try to cut corners by limiting the amount of testing that is to be conducted, and to place such products on the market more quickly to get a competitive edge on other product manufacturers.

Part of the reason why clients and their attorneys bring so many products liability suits is because companies often make decisions based on financial costs rather than consumer safety. Yet products liability suits often force such companies to pay attention to consumer safety or face losing such profits in the form of compensation to injury victims.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Strollers Recalled by Kolcraft Due to Fingertip Amputation and Laceration Hazards,” June 14, 2012