Consumer products designed for infant care usually have to undergo significant testing before they are sold publicly. Because infants are vulnerable and unable to communicate their concerns or discomforts, the products designed for their use have to be especially safe and functional. For many families in West Virginia, the process of researching reliable and safe products to use for their infant children is a critical step in their effort to select an option that will serve the desired purpose without compromising the well-being of their child.
In an announcement that made national headlines, Fisher-Price recalled their popular Rock ‘n Play sleeper after multiple infant deaths were reported in relation to the product. Many in opposition of the Rock ‘n Play sleeper discussed concerns about how the product was sold without proper testing or any input from medical professionals such as pediatricians. Despite the recall, other inclined sleepers continue to be sold throughout the nation.
Lawmakers are now pushing to introduce bills that will permanently ban inclined sleepers from being sold at all. Child safety experts say that infant children should sleep on their backs on a flat surface with nothing around them to obstruct their breathing. Inclined sleepers leave the infant at risk of suffocation especially if they roll over and cannot get back onto their back.
If people have been injured by a defective product, they may be eligible for compensation from the makers of the product. An attorney may be able to help them in this endeavor by providing support as they gather facts related to the case and investigate how the product’s usage ultimately affected the victim’s safety.
Source: The Washington Post, “Lawmakers introduce bills to ban inclined sleepers,” Todd C. Frankel, Jun. 12, 2019
