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December 5, 2015  ·  By HM&M

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dangerous toys, Holiday toys, Chicago product liability attorney‘Tis the season for remote control cars, bicycles, action figures, kitchen sets, and so much more. But how many of the toys that are purchased this holiday season present a real danger to children? World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) has recently given their list of the top 10 most dangerous toys of the season, but there may be many more.

Toy Safety Requirements

According to the Toy Industry Association, every toy sold on shelves in America undergoes some of the strictest safety requirements in the world. Some are even said to go through 100 different safety tests, standards, and certifications conducted by independent, federally approved testing labs. Yet countless toys have made it through the purported filtering system, only to cause injury or death, and then be recalled after the fact. And, even though the Toy Industry Association says that WATCH does not actually test the toys it names, parents are left to wonder just how safe the toys really are.

The WATCH List for This Holiday Season

All of the toys on the WATCH list this year can be found at popular retailers, including Toys R Us, Walmart, Kmart, and Amazon. They range from Play-Doh like substances to miniature trampolines. Some include warnings regarding WATCH's concerns, but others clearly do not. The full list includes:

  • “Bud” Skipit's Wheely Cute Pull Along (potential for choking injuries);
  • Foam dart gun by GD.Jiefeng Toys (realistic toy weapon);
  • Stats' quick-folding trampoline (potential for head, neck, and other injuries);
  • Poo-Dough (potential for allergy-related injuries);
  • Splat X Smack Shot (potential for eye injuries);
  • Kick Flipper (potential for head and other bodily injuries);
  • Leonardo's Electronic Stealth Sword (potential for blunt force injuries);
  • Kid Connection doctor play set (potential for ingestion and choking injuries);
  • Pull Along Zebra (potential for strangulation and entanglement injuries); and
  • Jurassic World velociraptor claws (potential for eye and facial injuries).

The Dangerous Toys of Christmas Past

Literally hundreds of other defective toys have been recalled due to either death or injury. In 2014, it was the My Sweet Love and My Sweet Baby Cuddle Care Baby Doll with overheating circuits that caused at least twelve burns, and the Magnetix Building Sets that had powerful magnets that could cause life-threatening injuries if ingested. In 2007, Mattel recalled their Fisher Price Laugh & Learn 2-1 Learning Kitchen line because four children had gagged or choked on loose pieces that had come off. And since July 2007, twenty million toys manufactured in China have made it to American toy shelves, despite having excessive lead paint levels.

Parents of Injured Children Have a Right to Seek Compensation

While it is certainly important for parents to vet their purchase decisions this holiday season, the real responsibility lies with the toy manufacturers. Entrusted with the cultivation of joy and imagination of children, they should be held to their standards of safety. They should also be held responsible when they fail to meet those standards.

At Hurley, McKenna & Mertz, P.C., we hold manufacturers accountable. We side with victims, providing them with aggressive representation and top-notch advocacy to ensure their rights are protected. Equipped with more than 75 years of experience, we also know what it takes to handle high-profile cases against major corporations. If you or someone you love has been injured by a defective product, contact our skilled Chicago personal injury attorneys for your free initial consultation and ask how we can help. Call [[phone]] today.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/18/dangerous-toys-2015-list_n_8595756.html

https://www.justice.org/sections/newsletters/articles/defective-toys-definitely-not-childs-play

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