Florida parents want their children to play with toys that will help them, not harm them. However, some products – including toys – can become defective. A parent’s worst fear came true when a toy that was bought at a local store broke apart and blinded a young boy.
The accident happened in July 2010 after a Pennsylvania woman bought butterfly nets at the local Dollar Tree store for her two children, who were ages 3 and 6 at the time. A few days later, the kids were playing with the butterfly nets with their cousin. While playing, the net frame and netting came out of the handle. The wire frame then flew into the left eye of the woman’s 6-year-old son.
The wire caused serious damage to the boy’s eye. The injuries were so severe that he required surgery to remove the eye. He now wears a prosthetic one.
The boy’s family has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the nets failed to meet safety standards. The lawsuit names Greenbrier International, Inc. and Dollar Tree, Inc. as defendants. Dollar Tree was the store that marketed the allegedly defective products, while Greenbrier International was the company that brought the nets from China, where they were manufactured. The family claims that Dollar Tree was negligent in allowing the nets to be sold without any evidence of proper testing. Greenbrier International is accused of not properly testing the nets after the results of a report with a toy safety expert. The family filed a report, which showed that the toy should be deemed hazardous due to insufficient testing.
The defendants claim that the products were properly tested and deny all claims of negligence. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
Defective products can cause a wide range of injuries. They can cause burns, lacerations, amputations, blindness, paralysis and even death. Victims who suffer from these and other serious injuries due to a defective product may be able to seek compensation, which can pay for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and other expenses.
Source: GoErie.com, “Settlement reached in Erie defective toy case” Lisa Thompson, Dec. 14, 2013
