Fall Injury Hazard : Target Recalls Step Stools that Could Collapse
If you live in South Florida and own a small step stool that you purchased at a Target store, better check the brand. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced that retail giant Target is recalling wooden step stools that could break or collapse under the user's weight -- putting users at risk of injury from falls.
Consumer Reports reported that Target is recalling more than 200,000 wooden step stools after consumers complained of falling accidents when the products malfunctioned and collapsed. The wooden step stools came in red and honey colors, featured a storage compartment, and were sold under the brands Circo and Do Your Room (DYR) at Target between 2007 and 2010.
According to Consumer Reports, Target has received 26 reports of the stools breaking or collapsing: 14 incidents involved children, 7 involved adults, and in 5 of the cases, the age of the fall accident victims was unknown. These product-related falling accidents resulted in people receiving bruises, scrapes, and broken bones, including a woman who fractured her hip and pelvis. Target has promised a refund to anyone who purchased one of the affected foot stools. (See article link below for list of product numbers and how to contact Target with questions.)
A Fort Lauderdale, Florida Product Liability lawyer stays current on product safety recalls that may affect consumers in South Florida. Fla. personal injury attorneys who work in the area of product and premises liability and slip, trip and fall accidents may provide legal representation to families where someone has been injured or killed in a fall.
Slip and fall accidents -- including falls off step stools and ladders -- can cause serious, life-changing injuries, including broken bones and head, neck, and back injuries. Senior citizens are particularly at risk for injuring themselves in a fall, as their bones are often frail and thin. Bone breaks in seniors can be devastating, even deadly (risk of falls in Florida nursing homes is always a concern for our Fla. senior citizens). A fall even from the relatively low height of a step stool is enough to cause broken bones and other injuries, as is the case in the consumer reports of product-related injury to Target.
Consumer product recalls are, unfortunately, not uncommon. A visit to the Target website reveals a section devoted to consumer product recalls in multiple categories -- including children's clothing, baby formula, pet food, electronics, defective pharmaceutical products, and toys (see link below).
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website maintains an extensive, searchable database of consumer product safety recalls in multiple categories. You may also sign up for email alerts regarding consumer product safety recalls -- and you may report a product that you believe is unsafe in your home for your family to use. The CPSC reports on a myriad of consumer issues, such as swimming pool safety and drowning risk, problems with drywall (a documented and serious problem with toxic building materials in South Florida -- see article link below), and defective cribs and other children's products.
Related Florida Accident Attorney Articles:
Slip, Trip or Fall Accidents in Florida : Not All Cases Are the Same
Florida Homeowners Defective Drywall Nightmare Continues; U.S. Manufacturers Named in Lawsuits
Sources:
Target recalls step stools for fall hazard
Consumer Reports Aug. 4, 2011
Target Recalls Step Stools with Storage Due to Fall Hazard
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Press Release Aug. 4, 2011
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