Window Blinds are Significant Safety Hazards for Young Children
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, over 768 children have been killed due to strangulation by window blind cords since 1973. The Chicago Tribune states that one child dies from such strangulation every month. The rates of death remains steady. The danger of window blinds is associated with the fragile conditions of young children. Doctors have pointed out in the Archives of Disease of Childhood that children between the ages of 16 and 36 months often have large heads, weak muscles, and fragile windpipes. Combined, these features make them particularly susceptible to strangling themselves on the loose cords of window blinds.
Window Blind Recalls and Lawsuits
Over the years, several recalls have been voluntarily issued to respond to injuries and deaths caused by window blinds. Millions of roman shades were recalled in 2009 alone when regulators learned of five deaths and sixteen injuries resulting from the inner cords of the shades. The regulators discovered that children often get their heads stuck between the blind’s fabric and the exposed inner cord. During the same year, thousands of roller and roll-up blinds were recalled after it was found that blinds without tension devices were strangling children. These recalls typically trigger redesigns from manufacturers, but not all consumers are notified and hazards are not completely eliminated.
Many aggrieved families have filed window blind strangulation lawsuits after their children’s death. In 2011, the parents of a three-year-old boy who was strangled by a window blind cord filed a window blind strangulation lawsuit against Hunter Douglas, Inc. for “reckless disregard,” claiming that they chose to disregard the safety of its products. According to the lawsuit, Hunter Douglas, in tandem with the Consumer Product Safety Commission as well as the Window Covering Industry, made safety recommendations to modify their blinds’ design. In particular, they recommended reducing the length of cords and by adding cord cleats. However, they failed to use their own recommendations, which the lawsuit described as “willfully disregarding its own advice.”
Consider Filing a Window Blind Strangulation Lawsuit in Louisiana
If you live in Louisiana and you or your loved one has had a child injured or killed because of a window blinds or a window blind loop strangulation, it is important for you to seek legal help. If you’re unsure how to proceed, contact Attorney Group for Louisiana. We can help answer your questions and concerns, offer you a free case evaluation, and if you decide to pursue a claim, connect you with an affiliated attorney who can help you seek the compensation to which you may be entitled.
