Over the last two years, numerous defective product recalls have been issued for drop-side cribs in the United States. According to an Associated Press news report, since 2000, at least 32 infants have suffocated and died in products that have proven to be virtual death traps. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a safety alert for these types of cribs. Federal officials have also promised to come up with a regulation by the end of 2010 that will ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs and come up with a new performance standard that would make fixed-side cribs mandatory.

Drop-Side Cribs Can be Lethal

Several large retailers such as Babies R Us and Wal-Mart have already taken them off their stores. Still, federal officials are extremely concerned that there are still plenty of drop-side cribs for sale online on websites such as Craigslist, in thrift stores or through garage sales. The level of awareness among parents and caregivers is still extremely low and that is certainly a cause for concern.

Law makers are also beginning to take action. In New York, Senator Kristen Gillibrand plans to introduce legislation this week to outlaw the manufacture, sale and resale of all drop-side cribs and also ban them from daycare centers and hotels. So far, more than 7 million of these cribs have been recalled, just over the last five years, after reports of catastrophic injuries and fatalities.

Product Liability Issues

The most common defect in these cribs is that the screws, safety pegs or other plastic parts come off causing the drop-side rail to detach and create a gap between the mattress and side rail where a baby can become trapped. This gap can also occur when parents fail to assemble the crib properly or when they attempt to fix it themselves. So far, two counties in New York – Suffolk and Nassau – have banned these types of cribs.

It is about time that these death traps are not only banned from the market, but also taken off online stores, garage sales and thrift stores. It is going to be an uphill challenge for federal officials to spread awareness about this serious product defect, but it is imperative that they get the word out. It’s the only way to prevent more tragedies from occurring. If your child has been injured or killed as the result of a defective crib, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to obtain more information about your legal rights and options.

Do you own a drop-side crib? Have you checked to see if your crib is part of a recall?