Children’s product recalls can lead to devastating outcomes, P. 3

In our last two posts on this topic we covered the basics of recalls related to children’s products and discussed the various types of issues that may happen with certain kids’ products. Today we take a deeper look at some very personal stories that either injured or took the life of a child.

Take, for example, a seemingly innocent toy called the Yo-Yo Water Ball. It’s a rubbery ball that’s attached to a rubbery string that kids can put on their finger and bounce around much like a typical yo-yo toy.

Back in 2003, a 5-year-old boy was playing with the toy. He was swinging it around his head when the cord wrapped around the boy’s neck four times. The boy ran to his mother who promptly ripped the cord in two. The boy thankfully survived the ordeal but was left with strangulation marks on his neck for a few days. Thankfully, this incident did not have a tragic outcome. The mother contacted the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and found out that the toy was under investigation already. She campaigned to get the toy removed from the market, contacting politicians and different media outlets. Her efforts have made an impact in various states including New York, where these toys are now banned.

This is one of the many stories related to defective products that happen each year. In our next post we will look at some products that proved to be fatal. Unlike the Yo-Yo Water Ball case, these issues were not caught in time.