Products and toys designed for use by children are meant to be fun and safe playthings that delight children of various ages without presenting hazards that products for adults often would. Although such products are held to high standards by government agencies, they are often subject to defects that slip past safety tests. When such dangers are present in a children’s product, they can easily cause serious and even deadly injuries. Accidents caused by defective children’s products are devastating for both the child and his or her family. The families of those injured by such products have the right to seek financial compensation for their child’s injuries and related financial costs.

Child Product Regulations and Law

In order to combat the serious dangers of defective products, the United States Federal Government passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act in 2008. Under the act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was given further funding and new, stricter regulations were placed on manufacturers concerning lead content and metal jewelry. Specifically relating to children’s products, stricter regulations were imposed on cribs and pacifiers; small parts; and baby bouncers, walkers, and jumpers. As such, manufacturers who violate such rules face legal penalties and are more susceptible to lawsuits concerning their unsafe products.

Types of Child Product Defects

Product defects typically fall into one of three categories. These types of defects are:

• Design Defects – This type of defect is due to how a product is conceived and what elements are decided by the company to be part of the product. Because the design is faulty, all products within the line are affected by the defect.
• Manufacturing Defects – These defects occur in the actual creation of the product. Due to a variety of reasons, some or all of the products are created with a flaw because of how it was manufactured.
• Warning Defects – This happens when the warning on a product fails to properly inform consumers of the dangers of the product, or a warning is completely absent on a potentially dangerous product.

Common Child Product Hazards

While there are many types of defects that could be potentially hazardous to children using a product, there are some defects that are commonly hazardous and often lead to serious and fatal injuries. These child product hazards include:

• Choking Hazards – Children can easily choke on any object that is small enough to put in their mouths. Small toys, such as balls and balloons or toys with smaller pieces that are either loose or could come off, present a serious danger for small children.
• Suffocation Hazards – If products such as clothing or cribs contain materials that can become trapped over a child’s face and block their breathing, there is a great chance of a suffocation incident occurring.
• Falling Hazards – Products such as high chairs or cribs that do not properly restrain children or tip over easily can result in children falling and being injured.
• Fire Hazards – If a product does not meet flame resistance standards, it puts children at risk of burn injuries. Often, costumes and other clothing that is not flame retardant can easily catch fire and severely harm the child wearing it.

Finding a San Diego Defective Child Product Lawyer

Any injury suffered by one’s child can be incredibly devastating, both for the child and his or her family. When such injuries occur due to an unsafe product that parents believed would be safe for their child, their trust and safety are also violated. Child product manufacturers are called on to have a high level of quality and safety precautions, but they do not always follow these guidelines. The San Diego defective product attorneys are dedicated to not only winning compensation for injured children and their families but finding justice in holding negligent companies responsible for the injuries they caused. Contact us today for further details on how our law team can help you find compensation for your losses.