A voluntary recall was issued Thursday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada for three types of window blinds sold at IKEA Home Furnishings.
The recall, which involves roller blinds that do not have tension devices properly attached to their bead chains, all Roman blinds and all roll-up blinds, comes on the heels of a report of a Lowell, Mass., toddler suffering near-strangulation in February after becoming caught up in the cord on a set of Roman blinds.
Two other incidents involving the Roman blinds, one of which resulted in the death of a Greenwich, Conn., 1-year-old and the near-strangulation of a 2-year-old, prompted previous recalls in 2008 and 2009 of about 1.3 million blinds.
Strangulation reportedly can occur with the Roman blinds if a child positions its neck in between the inner cord, which is at the time is exposed, and the fabric on the back of the blind or if the child happens to pull the cord out and wrap it around his or her neck.
While no injuries or fatalities have been reported with the use of the roll-up or roller blinds, the commission warned that strangulations can occur with those products as well.
In the case of the roller blinds, strangulation reportedly is possible when the looped bead chain is not properly affixed to the wall or the floor and a child becomes entangled in the resulting loose loop. Strangulation also reportedly can occur if a child becomes caught in a lifting loop that has slipped off of the roll-up blinds blind or if he or she places his or her neck between that lifting loop and the fabric part of the blind.
The commission recommends that the owners of the blinds stop using them immediately, noting that it is illegal to resell or to attempt to resell such recalled products. Full refunds will be issued for blinds returned to IKEA retail stores.
In one of the previous recalls, owners of the roller blinds were encouraged to make certain that the tension devices that came with the blinds were properly installed and to contact IKEA’s customer service representatives for assistance with the installation if necessary.
The three types of blinds were sold in stores from January 1998 and June 2009 for $5 to $55 and were manufactured in India, Estonia, China and Poland.
For more information about the recall, call IKEA’s hot line at (888) 966-4532 anytime, or visit its web site, www.ikea-usa.com. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall hot line is (800) 638-2772.
If you or a loved one has experienced injuries or choking because of hazardous blinds, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with household product recalls. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.