| ■ Eleven Infant Deaths Linked to Simplicity Cribs: CPSC | 2009.12.19 |
| The number of infant deaths linked to defective Simplicity cribs has risen to 11, even though there have been several warnings and recalls, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. Earlier recall announcements cited four reported deaths, the Associated Press reported. The CPSC said the most recent death involved a 7-month-old child in Princeton, Ky., who became trapped in the crib when a part of it broke. The agency also said it knows of 25 other incidents involving drop-side parts detaching from Simplicity cribs. More than two million Simplicity-manufactured drop-side cribs have been recalled since December 2005 because of problems with their plastic hardware, which can break or deform and cause the drop-side to detach, the AP reported. This creates a space between the drop-side and crib mattress that infants can roll into and become trapped, leading to a suffocation risk. |