December is Safe Toys and Gift Awareness Month, an effort from Prevent Blindness America that encourages parents and other gift-givers to consider the toys they give to children. Things to bear in mind when giving a toy as a gift include the child’s age and whether a toy requires adult supervision or assistance. Additional considerations include general safety issues such as parts that shoot or fly, sharp or pointy edges, and other potential safety concerns. Prevent Blindness America suggests gift-givers look for toys with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) certification to ensure they provide something that can be safely enjoyed.
There is an onus on gift-givers to ensure the toys they give children are age-appropriate and safe. But what can be done when a toy is dangerous due to a defect? Research has found that hazardous toys injure over 200,000 children every year. When the danger is from a design defect, improper labeling or warnings, missing instructions, or another manufacturing error, the families of injured children have every right to seek fair compensation through swift legal action.
Product Liability
Under product liability law, manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers of defective toys can be held accountable for injuries sustained by children. However, in New York, parents of injured children only have three years to take legal action after an injury has occurred. If a defective toy has injured your child, we encourage you to contact our office immediately to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your options and rights.
As parents, we do everything possible to protect our children from harm. As such, the emotional consequences can be profound when harm comes from a gift. In seeking compensation for a defective toy, our lawyers take into account all of the ways these injuries impact children and their families, physically, financially, and emotionally. We are prepared to take viable cases as far as necessary to help secure compensation the total compensation victims and their families deserve.
If you need legal assistance, call our Glen Falls office at 518-792-1174 to schedule a cost and obligation-free consultation today.