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People, including parents, buy children toys because they love them. Play is an important part of development, after all, and toys encourage children to use their minds in ways that have a lot of benefits for them in the long run.
The problem is that for many different reasons, some toys simply aren’t safe. What was given as a way to help a child explore the world can end in injury – which can sometimes be incredibly serious. That’s why if you have a child in your life, it’s vital to understand what toys can cause injuries and what you can do if it happens to you.
Here are the toys that topped the WATCH list for 2021, and what you can and should do if your child was injured by a defective toy in the state of New York.
According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, in 2019 there were 14 deaths related to toys in children under 14, but toys also caused over 220,000 injuries to kids that same year, so it’s something to be aware of.
A non-profit group called WATCH (World Against Toys Causing Harm) releases a list each year of the worst, most dangerous toys available on the market. They have determined that these toys are safety hazards for several reasons, such as having small parts that could lead to choking.
The list this year includes:
This battery-powered toy can be a danger since the batteries can be swallowed by younger children.
This is a sit and spin toy that poses impact injury dangers.
There are extra parts available on this set that pose choking hazards.
A playmat for babies to get in their tummy time, this product poses a suffocation hazard.
A rolling musical instrument powered by batteries, it poses choking and ingestion injuries.
This isn’t a complete list of the worst toys available this year, but it gives you a sampling. If your child was injured by these or any other toys, you may be able to seek compensation.
There are many ways that a toy can be dangerous to a child. The most common issues fall into one of three categories:
This is when the manufacturer fails to include adequate instructions or warnings for use.
If an error or mistake was made when the toy was being manufactured, then it’s defective for this reason.
Some toys are dangerous simply because of their design and then they fall into this category.
If there are flaws inherent to the design of a toy, then the designer or creator may be held liable. Distributors, manufacturers, and others involved in the process may also share liability. If a school, daycare, or other party allows a child to play with a recalled toy or an item with a known defect, then they can also be held liable.
If your child is injured by a toy, then working with an experienced attorney is a step in the right direction to determine who is ultimately liable and what damages can be pursued in the state of New York.
