http://www.thirdage.com/news/cribs-with-drop-sides-now-illegal_07-04-2011
Missouri Injury Attorneys would like to alert Missourians to a new law that effectively bans the use of drop side cribs. The law went into effect on July 5. The rule had been announced by the Consumer Productivity Commission last year. Under the new law, it is illegal to manufacture, distribute or import drop side cribs.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates, since 2009 alone, there have been at least 32 deaths involving infants and drop side cribs. Most of these accidents involved strangulation and choking when infants became lodged or trapped in a loose drop side. Other deaths were caused when infants fell through the space created when the detachable side became loose. Missouri Injury Attorneys have been calling for a ban on drop side cribs for a while now. There have been simply far too many injuries and deaths involving the use of these cribs over the past decade.
Drop side cribs became widely popular over the past few years because of the convenience they offer parents. Children are much easier to reach when you can detach one side of the crib. However, it wasn’t long before Missouri product liability lawyers came across a stream of complaints about children being trapped in the gap created by the detached crib side.
Now, manufacturers are prohibited from producing these cribs, and stores are prevented from selling them. Parents are advised to throw out their drop side cribs and buy a new fixed-side crib. However, if you are a parent who already owns a drop side cribs and can’t afford to buy a new one right away, you can contact the manufacturer of the crib to receive a safety device that can help immobilize the detachable side.
