Blind and Shutter Cords are a Hazard to Toddlers
If you have a baby or toddler in your home, it is important that you keep in mind that blind cords are a hazard to toddlers. A report by the Consumer Safety Product Commission says that children between 16 and 36 months are particularly vulnerable to the danger of blind cords because they have larger heads at this stage of growth as well as softer windpipes. Doctors have noted that toddlers in this stage of life also have less muscle than adults, and often cannot disentangle themselves from the blind cords.
On April 29th, British Doctors published an article in the Archives of Disease in Childhood that discussed emergencies involving blind cords. The doctors reported that a 22-month-old child was brought into the emergency room after his parents found him handing from the pull chain or blind cords in the home. The child was discharged from the hospital after one night. Doctors noted that not all children who have suffered the same injury have been so lucky.
The doctors used this situation as an example to warn parents that one or two young children die each year from cord strangulation in the United Kingdom alone. In the U.S., the blind cord incidents are even more common. A doctor at the department of pediatrics for Broomfield Hospital writes that records show 200 infants and young children have died from window blind cord strangulation in America.
Safety commissions say that it is wisest to create short-pull cords on blinds or install cordless blinds and shutters instead of allowing these dangerous ropes to dangle at a child’s height. As well, it is important to keep a child’s bed away from these pull chords, as this can be extremely dangerous.
Doctors agree that the best solution to this danger is to ban looped window blind cords and discourage manufacturers from including this feature on their window products. Until that happens, pediatricians say that they will continue to write of the dangers of window blind cords and recommend that parents steer clear from purchasing window treatments with these cords.
Talk to a New York City personal injury attorney today if your child was injured due to strangulation after being caught in these window cords. With the right attorney on your side, you may be able to seek compensation from the party responsible.
Strangulation can lead to a lack of oxygen, which can cause your child severe and permanent brain damage in a variety of situations. As well, the strangulation can lead to tracheal complications in the future, or may cause death in certian cases. Hire Greenberg & Stein to take on your child injuries or product liability case today!