Watchdog group, World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. (WATCH) has been working to reduce injuries to children caused by toys for nearly 50 years. Over their years of releasing dangerous toy lists, the Boston-based advocacy group has focused on poorly designed or manufactured toys. At the holidays, we here at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm want to remind you to always be cautious when purchasing toys for the children in your life. Remember that having been intentionally manufactured for children does not necessarily make them safe.
Top Ten Dangerous Toys for 2016
- Banzai Bump N’ Bounce Body Bumpers: Creates hazard by possible impact injuries, either from bumping into one another or by falling onto objects after being bumped.
- Peppa Pig’s Muddy Puddles Family: Serious choking hazard with inconsistent warnings on packaging.
- Kids Time Baby Children’s Elephant Pillow: Infant suffocation hazard. Advertising shows infants with product, and there are no warnings on the product itself.
- Peppy Pups: Strangulation risk due to 31-inch pull cord and young target age.
- Flying Heroes Superman Launcher: Serious eye and facial injury risk due to rigid toy that can be launched at some speed. Warnings say to release away from face but toys marketed to kids as young as 4.
- Baby Magic Feed and Play Baby: Interactive spoon is less than 3 inches long and creates an ingestion risk for small children.
- Slimeball Slinger: Projectile toy with potential for severe eye injury.
- Nerf Rival Apollo XV-700 Blaster: Projectile toy that can cause eye injuries. Box depicts children with masks protecting eyes, but mask is not included.
- The Good Dinosaur Galloping Butch: Puncture injury risk caused by the toy’s rigid, pointed tail which is likely to be held near a child’s face when the child is activating the toy.
- Warcraft Doomhammer: Doomhammer is made of heavy, rigid plastic and could cause severe blunt impact injuries.
WATCH is always careful to remind consumers that their list is not exhaustive. Each year, they raise a particular concern related to toy safety that applies more generally. Last year, they urged parents to look more closely at their online toy purchases. When you aren’t looking at the product itself, it may be easier to fail to recognize serious, potentially deadly dangers, including choking hazards, suffocation risks, parts prone to causing head or traumatic brain injury, projectiles that can result in severe eye injury, and toxic paints or other materials that if inhaled, ingested, or handled can cause neurological problems.
This year, WATCH is urging consumer not to rely upon safety warnings and labels to determine the safety of an item. Such labels can be inaccurate, inadequate, or both. Companies may intentionally choose not to warn parents of a danger, but more often than not, the failure to warn arises out of ignorance or process failures. A court of law will consider whether or not the company knew of a risk but will also focus on whether or not the company should have known about the danger.
When a child is hurt or killed by a dangerous toy, it is important to address it right away. Other children may well be at risk also. This can be a difficult task when you are grieving or helping your child through a difficult injury and recovery. The personal injury attorneys at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm can fight on behalf of your child and any other child who may be in danger. We’ll get to work, so you can focus on healing. Give us a call today for an absolutely free initial consultation: 1-800-LEE-FREE.
