Window Cords Are An Unlikely Danger
May 12, 2014
Window cords are an unlikely danger
Defective products in the home can be a deadly combination. Recalls on vehicles and machinery often take precedence over household products due to the nature of laws; however, there are defective products in homes all over the country where mothers and fathers who aren’t aware of the potential problems just a few feet away from their child’s toy box or play pen. When products are designed and safety features fail, or if a product is dangerous and no safety precautions are taken upon going to market, people and their families can get hurt. If you’ve been hurt by a defective product, or you have lost someone close to you because of the negligence of a manufacturer, you may have a possible defective product or wrongful death case.
A family from Orem, Utah, a town just north of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, is saddened after the death of their little girl who was strangled when she became entwined with a cord connected to window blinds last week.
The same thing happened to another mother north of Orem in Plain City, Utah in 2006 when her daughter died at day care after accidently choking on a window blind cord. That woman is now on the board for Parents for Window Blind Safety (PWBS), a group that advocates for the protection of children from dangerous window blind cords. In her research, the woman found the nonprofit group and now helps other parents who have suffered similar tragedies by providing support and educating customers on the dangers of window cords.
According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), at least 140 children died, 136 of whom were strangled, after being caught in a window cords between 1999 and 2011. That’s an average of one child per month who die from window cord accidents.
The PWBS is presently running a safety campaign through social media and reaches out to other parents through mediums such as Twitter and Facebook. The group’s ultimate goal is to see stricter regulations be placed on window blind cords and hopes that one day all homes’ windows will be free of these dangerous cords.
As warmer temperatures are upon us and families begin to open blinds and windows to let in the fresh air and sunlight, please remember that your window cords will be in a lower position than usual and that young, curious children are always into whatever may be dangling around. Safety experts say that if you do have small children in the house, it is advantageous to equip window fixtures with cordless blinds and curtains.
New window fixtures can be expensive; so, in the meantime, relocate toy chests, cribs, beds, and other easily accessible furniture away from walls and windows where cords can hang down low. You can also drive a small tack or nail in the wall or molding around a window and wrap the cord around it, so long as it’s out of the reach of children.
If your blinds were manufactured prior to 2000, they may have cords that can be easily pulled and formed into a loop. These are considered one of the most dangerous types of blinds, as they can easily strangle a child. The CPSC recommends calling the Window Covering Safety Council at 800-506-4636 for a free repair kits to fix those types of blinds.
If your child has been injured due to dangerous window cords, you can call the defective products personal injury attorneys at Goodrich & Geist, P.C.. Our more than 45 years of combined experience and track record for success speaks for itself. Contact us today for a free preliminary consultation at 800-806-2456.
