With the holiday season behind us, most households with children have added some new toys to the family’s toy box. Parents and other family members likely chose these toys with the greatest of care, but sometimes the toys that are suppose to bring joy and entertainment end up injuring the child and lead to an emergency department visit.
Study Reveals Dangers With Children’s Play Toys
In a study conducted at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, researchers reviewed the medical records of children treated in United States emergency departments from 1990 through 2011. They found that an estimated 3,278,073 children were treated for toy-related injuries during this 22-year period.
The study, the results of which will appear in the February issue of the journal Clinical Pediatrics, also revealed that a child was treated every 3 minutes for a toy-related injury in 2011.
The type of toy-related injury suffered by a child often depended on their age. Toddlers and younger children were found to be most at risk of a toy-related injury, and slightly more than half of the injuries happened to children younger than 5 years of age.
For example, during the study period, there were more than 109,000 cases of children 5 years old and younger swallowing or inhaling “foreign bodies” (toys or parts of toys), which averaged out to almost 14 choking emergency department visits per day. In particular, children younger than 3 years old were found to be at greater risk for being harmed by choking on a small toy or part of a toy.
Older toddlers and children were more likely to be injured while riding on a toy, such as a tricycle, wagon, or foot-powered scooter. Injuries from ride-on toys were 3 times more likely to involve dislocated or broken bones than other toys. However, regardless of age, falls and collisions were found to be the most common causes of children’s injuries, such as head trauma and concussions.
Proper Manufacturing, Testing, And Instructions for Use Important To Toy Safety
Toy manufacturing and instructions are very important to toy safety. Because of this, all toys intended for use by children under 14 years old must comply with the federal toy safety standards set forth by Congress in section 201 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The standard addresses numerous hazards that have been identified with toys and mandates a nationwide children’s product safety rule. It also requires that all toys designed or intended primarily for use by children 12 years of age and younger must be tested and certified for use.
Under the law, any manufacturer or importer who sells toys in the United States is responsible for identifying the sections of the toy standard that apply to its product or products. They also are responsible for using a CPSC-accepted laboratory to perform any toy testing.
Tallahassee Lawyers Help Children Injured By Defective Toys
The Tallahassee personal injury attorneys at Fasig & Brooks know that parents want to keep their kids as safe as possible. If your child has been hurt by an unsafe or defective toy, our experienced product liability attorneys are here to listen to your situation and provide the legal advice necessary to help you obtain the maximum recovery available for your child’s injuries. Call us today at (850) 222-3232 or use our convenient online contact form.
