Yesterday, IKEA issued a recall for nearly 170,000 crib mattresses amidst concerns of a potential hazard for entrapment and suffocation.
The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) announced the IKEA crib mattress recall yesterday. This recall was issued after reports of two separate incidents where infants became trapped between the crib mattress and a crib. Fortunately, in both cases the issue was discovered and the infant was pulled free before any injury occurred. However, the recall aims to prevent any further incidents, which may result in entrapment or suffocation of an infant.
The CPSC has been working to create specifications for cribs and crib mattresses to ensure infant safety for some time. In 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was put into place to address safety issues across a range of consumer products. Last June, the CPSC took further steps to create stronger safety regulations for baby bedding by working with the American Society for Testing Materials and the International Sleep Production Association to establish safer size requirements for cribs and crib mattresses.
If you own or plan to purchase a crib mattress, the CPSC recommends that you use this simple test to determine that the mattress properly fits within the crib. If you can fit more than two fingers in the space between the crib mattress and the crib itself, the mattress may be defective and could cause the risk of entrapment.
The mattresses concerned in the IKEA recall were sold exclusively by IKEA, either in stores or online, from August 2010 to May 2014 and cost roughly $100. They are made in the IKEA VYSSA style, and could be marked with brand names SLOA, SUMMER, SPELEVINK, VACKERT, or VINKA.
If your crib mattress has been included in this recall, you are instructed to immediately discontinue use of the mattress and to contact IKEA for a replacement or refund.
When consumers purchase products, they make those purchases with the implied trust that the products will be safe to use. While a product recall can help prevent future injuries or issues, they are often issued only after injuries have occurred. If you or your child has been injured by a product which has been the subject of a consumer safety recall or which you believe is unsafe, you could be entitled to compensation for your damages. For more information on dangerous products or product liability lawsuits, contact a personal injury lawyer to have your claim reviewed.
