Recent Case Results
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found no evidence of Cronobacter, the bacterial infection responsible for the recent deaths of two infants, in sealed cans of Enfamil Infant Formula, prompting the agencies to issue a joint statement indicating that there was need to recall the baby formula manufactured by Mead Johnson.
Prior to the FDA and CDC investigation, several stores, including Wal-Mart, had pulled Mead Johnson’s Enfamil Infant Formula from store shelves in the latter half of December 2011 following the death of a 10-day-old baby from Missouri and another baby from Florida. Two other babies, one from Illinois and one from Oklahoma, were also infected with the Cronobacter bacteria, but they recovered. The four infections prompted the FDA investigation, which included testing factory-sealed containers of the powdered formula mixed with nursery water with the same lot numbers as the opened containers collected from Missouri. The tests revealed no Cronobacter bacteria in any of the containers.
According to the FDA and the CDC, the Cronobacter bacteria, which is commonly found in the environment, hospitals and homes, can multiply in powdered baby formula after the product is mixed with water. The FDA has said that it is continuing to investigate the four cases of Cronobacter infections, but that the Enfamil products that were pulled from store shelves are safe for use.
Since powdered infant formula is not sterile, some experts have expressed concerns regarding the lack of adequate methods to remove or kill all bacteria that may find its way into the formula before and during production. The FDA and CDC has said that Cronobacter-related illnesses are rare and that increased awareness has led to 12 reported cases in 2011, whereas the CDC typically learns of four to six Cronobacter infections each a year.
Steinberg Goodman & Kalish (www.sgklawyers.com) is dedicated to protecting victims and their families. We handle medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, auto accidents, professional negligence, birth trauma, and railroad law matters. Contact us at (800) 784-0150 or (312) 782-1386.
(Credit: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Parents: Beware and Be Aware. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently issued a warning regarding the risk of injuries to children placed in Bumbo baby seats placed on a table, countertop, chair or other elevated surface. Parents and caregivers are reminded to only place children in the Bumbo seats while the seat is on the floor. The Bumbo baby seat is an incredible popular children’s product, with approximately 3.85 million Bumbo seats sold in the U.S. since 2003.
Babies frequently escape free from the Bumbo seat by arching their backs, leaning forward or sideways, or rocking back and forth. Infants between 3 and 10 months have been known to suffer serious head injuries, including skull fractures and concussions, after falling from a Bumbo seat that is on an elevated surface. In fact, the CPSC and Bumbo International, the manufacturer of the Bumbo baby seat, are aware of at least 45 incidents since October 2007 in which children fell out of a Bumbo seat while elevated.
In October 2007, Bumbo International voluntarily recalled the Bumbo seat in order to add a product warning on the front of the baby seat warning against the use of the seat on elevated surfaces. Since the recall, CPSC and Bumbo International have received reports of 17 infants, ages 3 to 10 months, who suffered skull fractures. CPSC and Bumbo International are also aware of an additional 50 reports of infants falling or maneuvering out of Bumbo seats when used on the floor and at unknown elevations, including two reports of skull fractures and one report of a concussion that occurred even when the Bumbo seat was placed on the floor.
CPSC and Bumbo International are also aware of at least 46 falls from Bumbo seats prior to the 2007 recall, which resulted in 14 skull fractures, two concussions and one incident of a broken limb.
If your child has been injured as a result of falling from the Bumbo baby seat, you may wish to contact the experienced Illinois product liability attorneys at Steinberg, Goodman & Kalish to learn about a possible personal injury or product liability claim.
Steinberg Goodman & Kalish (www.sgklawyers.com) is dedicated to protecting victims and their families. We handle medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, auto accidents, professional negligence, birth trauma, and railroad law matters. Contact us at (800) 784-0150 or (312) 782-1386.
More than 438,000 B.O.B.® single and double strollers in the United States and Canada were recalled by the U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with the strollers’ manufacturer, on October 11, 2011. The strollers were recalled because the stroller canopy’s embroidered logo backing patch can detach, creating a choking hazard to babies and young children.
To date, the strollers’ manufacturer – B.O.B. Trailers, Inc. – has received six reports of children mouthing the detached patch, with gagging and choking occurring in two of the incidents. In each case, the child was seated in an infant car seat attached to the stroller and the backing patch was removed from the child’s mouth without injury.
The recall includes B.O.B. single and double strollers that were manufactured between November 1998 and November 2010. Strollers manufactured after October 2006 have a white label affixed to the back of the stroller’s leg that includes the manufacturing date. Strollers with no manufacturing date listed are still included in the recall. The recalled strollers have the brand name BOB®, Ironman® or Stroller Strides® embroidered on the canopy of the strollers.
The recalled strollers were sold at REI, Babies R’ Us and other children’s product and sporting goods stores throughout the United States, and via Amazon.com, from November 1998 to October 2011. The recalled strollers had a retail price of between $280 and $600.
If you own one of the recalled strollers, you should immediately stop using the stroller until the embroidery backing patch can be removed from the interior of the canopy’s logo. Consumers can contact B.O.B. Trailers for information on how to remove the backing patch and for any additional information by calling (855) 242-2245 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, or by visiting the firm’s website at www.bobnotices.com
If your child has been injured by one of the recalled strollers, you may wish to contact the experienced Illinois product liability attorneys at Steinberg, Goodman & Kalish to learn about a possible personal injury or product liability claim.
Steinberg Goodman & Kalish (www.sgklawyers.com) is dedicated to protecting victims and their families. We handle medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, auto accidents, professional negligence, birth trauma, and railroad law matters. Contact us at (800) 784-0150 or (312) 782-1386.
On May 24, 2011, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reannounced its 2009 recall of approximately 22,000 Dream On Me full-size and portable drop-side cribs. The CPSC and the cribs’ manufacturer, Dream On Me, Inc. of Piscataway, N.J., have received 69 reports of injuries/incidents involving these cribs.
The full-size and portable drop-side cribs have rail hardware that can break, allowing the drop side to detach from the crib, creating a space between the drop side and the crib in which a child’s body can become entrapped. In addition, the portable drop-side crib mattress support hardware and drop-side release latch can break easily, causing the slats to loosen or break and detach from the crib. Children can also cut themselves on exposed hardware.
The recalled cribs are drop-side wooden cribs that are painted or stained in black, cherry, dark brown, natural, white, and pink. The recalled full-size cribs include model numbers 612, 613, 615, 616, 617, 619, 628, and 639. The recalled portable cribs include model numbers 621, 625 and 627.
The recalled cribs were sold at Toys R Us, Walmart and Target stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com. The full-size cribs were sold between January 2006 and December 2009 and retailed for approximately $200. The portable cribs were sold between September 2007 and December 2009 and retailed for approximately $150.
Consumers who own the recalled full-size cribs should contact Dream On Me to receive a free repair kit that will be available June 30, 2011. Owners of the recalled portable cribs can receive a free replacement portable crib beginning in mid-July 2011. Consumers should contact Dream On Me at (877) 201-4317 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.dreamonme.com to receive the free repair kit or replacement portable crib.
If your child has been injured using one of the recalled cribs, you may wish to contact the experienced Illinois product liability attorneys at Steinberg, Goodman & Kalish to learn about a possible personal injury or product liability claim.
Steinberg Goodman & Kalish (www.sgklawyers.com) is dedicated to protecting victims and their families. We handle medical malpractice, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, auto accidents, professional negligence, birth trauma, and railroad law matters. Contact us at (800) 784-0150 or (312) 782-1386.
