Due to reports of dozens of Fisher Price infant deaths allegedly linked to the company’s Rock ‘N Play sleeper product, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Fisher-Price have issued warnings about safe use of the sleeper. Consumer safety advocates are flummoxed about why the CPSC did not issue an earlier recall of the product after so many reports, some dating back to 2011. But the warnings only stated infants should be watched more vigilantly when three months old or when they exhibit capabilities of moving from their back to their side or stomach. The sleeper has since been recalled due to legal and media pressure.
An investigation led by Consumer Reports noted up to 32 Fisher Price Infant deaths resulting from Rock ‘N Play accidents, a shocking number from one sleeper product, though the company denies their product is defective or capable of causing such fatalities. While Fisher-Price remains in denial regarding Rock ‘N Play defects and serious safety failures, consumer safety attorneys are filing class action product liability lawsuits and personal injury claims against the company for failing to produce a safe child product and marketing the inclined sleeper as an alternative to safer child products.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Child Safety Recall Attorney and Wrongful Death Lawyer representing plaintiffs nationwide in Fisher Price Infant Deaths Lawsuits and Rock N Play Accident claims.
The recent safety alert and recall from both the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Fisher-Price include a warning to stop using the sleeper when infants turn 3 months old or as soon as an infant has the ability to turn over. The company admits there have been 10 infant death reports related to the Rock ’n Play since 2015, after unrestrained infants rolled onto their stomach or side and suffocated.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend sleeping devices that require the use of restraints because a baby can turn into an unsafe position, leading to suffocation or strangulation accidents. Child experts urge caution against using sleep in infant car seats for similar reasons. Medical experts also warn that restraint straps can lead to strangulation accidents.
It is considered basic advice that babies should sleep on level, firm surfaces, and product liability lawsuits claim Fisher-Price should have known this when it began selling the defective Rock ’n Play Sleeper. Babies should be put to bed alone, on their backs, on a firm, flat surface.
Despite the CPSC failing to issue an earlier safety recall for the Rock ‘N Play, experts contacted in a Consumer Reports investigation warn there is an increased risk of death when using the product and urge parents to use another product. Ten infants have died in the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play. The CPSC does not have an inclined infant sleeping product standard, which may be part of the recall issue, even with so many Fisher Price Infant deaths reported to the agency.
Fisher-Price warns parents to stop using the sleeper when infants can roll over, but the reported deaths show that some consumers are still using the product when infants are capable of rolling and don’t use the harnesses. On top of that, some reported Fisher Price infant deaths occurred in Rock ‘N Play accidents involving children younger than three months.
Consumer safety advocates and lawyers representing plaintiffs in wrongful death cases are working to protect consumers and children in the future and trying to get the defective Rock ‘N Play Sleeper recalled and hold the company liable for any injury or death related to their defective products.
If a loved one has died or suffered an injury due to a Rock ‘N Play design defect, and have questions about the legal remedies available to improve quality of life and medical care, contact The Lyon Firm at (800) 513-2403. You will speak directly with Mr. Lyon, a child product safety attorney, and he will help you answer critical questions regarding the Rock N Play Recall and class action product liability Fisher Price lawsuits.