Dorel Asia cribs are recalled after a 6-month-old dies
The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday announced the recall of about 635,000 cribs after the death of a 6-month-old child and dozens of reports of safety problems.
The cribs, distributed by Barbados-based Dorel Asia, feature hardware that can fail, causing the drop-side to detach from the crib. When the drop-side detaches, it creates a space in which an infant or toddler can become trapped and suffocate or strangle, the agency said.
In addition, the cribs can pose an entrapment and strangulation hazard when a slat is damaged. This can occur when the crib is in use or in storage, when it is being put together, taken apart or reassembled, or during shipping and handling.
The safety commission said a 6-month-old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, became trapped and died in one of the cribs after the drop-side hardware broke. The agency and Dorel Asia received 31 reports of drop-side incidents and 36 of slat breakage; a total of 10 injuries were reported.
In a separate statement, Dorel Asia said it had learned from a safety investigator that the 6-month-old’s crib had been previously broken and that the parents had used duct tape to hold it together.
“Although tragic, it is important for consumers to understand that the circumstances of this fatality were highly unusual,” Dorel Asia said.
The cribs were manufactured in China and Vietnam and sold at Wal-Mart, Kmart and Sears stores nationwide from January 2005 through December 2009 for $120 to $700. Several models of the cribs are being recalled.
The safety commission said consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs, find an alternative place for their children to sleep and contact Dorel Asia at (866) 762-2304 or www.dorel-asia.com to receive a free replacement kit.
