Data show nearly 10,000 infants injured in crib accidents annually

USA Today (2/17, Szabo) reports, “More than 9,500 babies and toddlers” go to the emergency department (ED) each year because of injuries related to “cribs, playpens and bassinets,” according to a “19-year” study in the journal Pediatrics. The researchers found that an average of “113 children die each year from these accidents.” Lead author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, says the “true number of crib-related injuries and deaths is probably much higher,” because the study included only children treated in EDs and “not those seen at doctor’s offices or urgent-care centers.”

According to the AP (2/17, Tanner), the researchers analyzed “national 1990-2008 data on ER-treated injuries” from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Overall, the data showed “181,654 infants were injured”; and of the injured children who received ED treatment, there were “2,140 deaths.”

The Washington Post (2/17, Huget), in its “The Checkup” blog, notes that an “average of 26 such injuries per day occurred during the time studied, with most (66%) involving falls, usually from cribs (83%) and most commonly affecting the head or neck (40%).” The study calls for “creation and implementation of safety measures in the design and construction of cribs, playpens and bassinets. It also recommends that parents be told how to safely use such equipment and made aware of dangers they may pose.” Notably, the CPSC in December “voted to ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs.”

Lundy Law recently reported on several recent crib and infant toy and baby monitor recalls. If you have purchased any of these items, we encourage you to call the manufacturer. Of course, if your infant or toddler has been injured by an unsafe product, you can call the injury lawyers at Lundy Law, 1-866-281-8612.