Dangerous Toys

Corpus Christi Dangerous Toy Injury Attorneys

Parents and guardians all across the US understand the weighty responsibilities that come with caring for a child. It’s up to us to keep our children safe, and we take that duty seriously. When we go shopping for products like car seats and toys, we check safety warning labels and make sure we’re buying age-appropriate products. Unfortunately, even the most careful guardians cannot shield their children from some dangerous toys. Designers, manufacturers, and distributors are sometimes responsible for putting unsafe products into small, innocent hands. The ultimate consequences of allowing dangerous toys to go on the market can be catastrophic. Children can be injured or even killed.

At Brunkenhoefer, P.C. Injury Attorneys, we understand the solemn obligation companies have to ensure that the toys they release are not unduly dangerous. The law expects businesses to think about child safety. Designers should not create toys for infants that include small parts. Manufacturers should not use toxic chemicals that could make children sick. Distributors should include all relevant safety information and label toys for the appropriate age group. If your child has been injured by an unsafe toy, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the party responsible. No child should ever suffer because of a company’s reckless negligence.

Common Causes of Toy Injuries

Children can be hurt by a variety of problems with their toys. Some common causes of toy injuries include:

• Sharp edges or toy parts
• Unsafe electrical wiring
• Poor craftsmanship or low-quality components
• Button batteries (a choking and poison hazard)
• Toys labeled for the wrong age groups
• Inappropriately flammable toys
• Quantities of lead
• Mislabeled products
• Toxins and other chemicals
• Small parts on/in toys for infants (a choking hazard)

Any one of these issues could lead to a catastrophic injury. Far too many children across the US every year suffer from injuries caused by unsafe toys. Lead poisoning, lacerations, choking, suffocation, brain damage, or severe burns caused by a children’s product could each lead to long-lasting problems that would affect your child’s quality of life. Tragically, some children even die when they are exposed to these dangerous toys.

Toy Injury Statistics

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is a federal regulatory agency designed to reduce injuries and deaths related to unsafe products. They create voluntary industry standards, issue and enforce mandatory standards, educate the public about product dangers, issues product recalls, and conduct research concerning product safety. The statistics concerning toy-related injuries, that they gather and publish annually, provide a shocking glimpse into an industry still struggling with safety issues. In 2015:

• There were around 254,200 toy-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms.
• 41 percent of those injuries involved lacerations, contusions, or abrasions.
• 45 percent of those injuries were to the head and face area.
• 185,500 injuries happened to children younger than 15 years old.
• 175,800 injuries happened to children younger than 12 years old.
• 88,700 injuries happened to children younger than five years old.

These surprisingly high numbers indicate that product designers, manufacturers, and distributors still have many problems anticipating problems that could be caused by their toys. All businesses involved in this market have a serious obligation to think about the well-being of the children who will use, play with, or be around their toys. When they fail to create safe items, innocent children can be seriously injured.

Product Liability Law and Dangerous Toys

It can be difficult for the average parent or guardian to tell whether or not they have a strong product liability case after their child is hurt by a toy. Will the courts simply blame the child or the parents for the injury? How can you tell if the toy itself was dangerous? In order to thoroughly answer these questions about your specific circumstances, you will need to speak with an experienced product liability attorney. However, it is helpful to know that the law does expect companies that produce and distribute items, including toys, take reasonable measures to ensure the safety of consumers. These measures may involve thorough product testing, using quality parts, marketing the item for the appropriate age group, and using non-toxic components.

It is also useful for parents to understand that any product goes through many stages of development before it ever reaches a consumer. A toy can become hazardous at any one of these stages. For example, a toy might cause an injury due to:

• Design defects: engineers and planners create an unsafe toy
• Manufacturing defects: the company responsible for building the toy puts it together incorrectly or with dangerous materials
• Marketing defects or distribution errors: companies responsible for marketing or selling the toy fail to warn consumers of potential risks

A toy might be designed with hidden dangers, like some products that require a charge have been known to cause fires due to unsafe wiring. On the other hand, a toy that would be perfectly safe for toddlers might be a serious hazard for infants. Blankets and stuffed animals specifically marketed to newborns can put an innocent baby at risk of suffocation. A car seat labeled with a specific age instead of a weight range could result in a serious injury.

Dangerous Toy Injuries Frequently Asked Questions

If your child has been hurt by a dangerous toy, you probably have a lot of questions. We have gathered a short list of some questions we often get from our clients. Please feel free to contact us at 361-888-8808 to speak with a knowledgeable legal professional about any other questions you may have.

How much is my case worth?

That depends on a variety of factors, including the overall costs of the injury, the severity or extent of the injury, the degree to which another party can be held legally liable for the injury. Product liability law exists so that unsuspecting consumers are not financially burdened with the expenses of an injury caused by a defective or otherwise unsafe item. You may be able to secure damages to pay for costs including:

• Past and future hospital bills
• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Emotional suffering
• Pain
• Counselling
• Lifestyle alterations made necessary by the injury

A skilled products liability attorney can help you assess the general worth of your case based on the specifics of your situation.

Why should I seek compensation?

A successful product liability case, including those involving dangerous toys, can leave you with the funds to cover some or all injury-related costs. Many parents and guardians assume that they cannot pursue a product liability case because they don’t have the money to hire an attorney or they’re going up against too large or powerful a corporation. There is a concern that they’ll be made out to be bad parents: either they weren’t watching closely enough or the child was using the product wrong.

However, it is important to remember that product designers, manufacturers, and distributors have a serious legal obligation to consider consumer safety. They should anticipate any issues that their toy might cause. For example, a toy meant for infants should not be easily disassembled into small parts. That could be a choking hazard. A product liability attorney can help you decide whether a company behind the product is to blame partially or entirely for your child’s injury. If a designer, manufacturer, or distributor can be held legally liable, you could be entitled to financial compensation.

Why should I choose Brunkenhoefer, P.C. Injury Attorneys?

Our product liability attorneys have a long history of working with injury victims and their families. We have over 25 years of legal experience fighting for your rights against insurance companies, big businesses, and other negligent parties. Our compassionate legal professionals understand the intense emotional agony that families suffer when a child is injured. Anyone who is contacting us about our services has already experienced that kind of trauma. That’s why we prioritize making the legal process as painless and as quick as possible.

We offer our services on a contingency basis; if you do not get financial compensation, you do not owe us any fees or costs. Additionally, we are always ready to go to trial to defend your child’s rights. We have extensive experience swiftly closing cases while securing the maximum possible payout.

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Parents and guardians take special care to make sure their children are safe. We teach them to be careful around busy roads, hot ovens, and other obvious dangers. However, sometimes a child can be seriously injured by the most unexpected thing imaginable—a toy. We rightfully assume that product designers, manufacturers, and distributors consider the safety of our children before putting a toy on the market. Legally, those businesses are required to take every possible precaution to ensure that toys are well-made, safe for play, and properly marked for the appropriate age groups.

If your child was injured by a defective or dangerous toy, you might be entitled to monetary compensation. At Brunkenhoefer, P.C. Injury Attorneys, our product liability attorneys have the skills and the experience needed to protect your child’s rights and safeguard your family’s financial future. Contact us today at 361-888-8808 to speak with a knowledgeable legal professional about how we can help you.