Clothing with Drawstrings Recalled for Strangulation Hazard
Century 21 Promotions Inc., a maker of children’s hooded jackets in Seattle, Washington, has announced a voluntary defective product recall of about 17,000 hooded sweatshirts and jackets that pose a strangulation hazard to young children. According to a consumer safety alert put out by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the sweatshirts have a drawstring through the hood, which can pose a strangulation hazard to children. The CPSC, in February 1996, issued guidelines to help prevent children from getting entangled on neck and waist drawstring in upper garments such as jackets or sweatshirts. So far, no injuries or deaths have been reported in connection with these product defects.
These sweatshirts were sold at several retail and gift shops in Seattle, Washington, New England and Alaska for between $25 and $35. Consumers who own these garments are asked to remove the drawstrings immediately from the sweatshirts to eliminate the hazard or return the clothing to the store for a complete refund. The recalled jackets and sweatshirts were manufactured in China.
There is no question that these articles of clothing pose a significant danger to young children. There have been reports of one case where a child was strangled because the drawstring got caught in playground equipment and another where a boy got entangled in the drawstring when the string got caught in a school bus door. These products continue to be made in China and other countries despite the CPSC-issued guidelines more than 10 years ago.
This is unacceptable. Manufacturers of such products must be held accountable for the defective items they put on the market endangering the lives and well-being of unsuspecting consumers. If you have been injured or if you have lost a loved one because of a product’s manufacturing, design or marketing defect, please contact one of the skilled Seattle personal injury attorneys at the Bernard Law Group. Kirk Bernard and his legal team help injured victims or their families file personal injury claims or wrongful death claims against defective product manufacturers. Call us today for a free consultation and discussion of your product liability or personal injury claim.
Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10041.html
