Few parents realize that miniblinds continue to pose a serious strangulation risk to their children. The same can’t be said for the companies that make miniblinds, though: As far back as 1985, the industry has known about the unreasonable dangers posed by defectively designed miniblinds, but they have refused to fix the problem.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than 339 children have been strangled in miniblinds since 1973. Because many miniblind-related deaths are never reported, however, the Journal of the American Medical Association believes that the number of deaths is much higher.

Children can become entangled in miniblinds in several ways: A pull cord with a loop forms a noose that can strangle a child. A dangling pull cord can become wrapped around a child’s neck. The inner cord that runs through a blind also poses an unreasonable strangulation hazard.

In 1985, a lawyer who represented the family of a 2-and-a-half-year-old boy who strangled on a miniblind cord complained to the CPSC about the dangers posed by the window treatments. That same year, the CPSC asked the industry to participate in a joint commission product safety alert. However, the industry countered with a proposal that would have put the blame for children’s deaths on inattentive parents. The CPSC balked and eventually issued an alert that advised consumers of the need for shorter blind cords.

Unfortunately, children continued to die as a result of miniblind strangulation. The CPSC reissued the safety alert in 1989. In 1994, the miniblind industry formed the Window Covering Safety Council, which offered a retrofitting program for miniblinds that involved affixing tassels to the cords, despite the fact that an earlier study by a miniblind maker concluded that such tassels did nothing to prevent wrap-around deaths and gave parents a false sense of security.

As the study predicted, deaths associated with miniblinds continued to occur. In 2000, another voluntary recall and retrofitting program was announced to address the problem of strangulation on the inner cord. Like its predecessor, the program was ineffective.

To this day, the industry has failed to correct the unreasonably dangerous design of miniblinds.

If you or a loved one has been injured or a family member has died as in an accident involving miniblinds, we urge you to contact Carey, Danis & Lowe, whose attorneys are experienced in helping people injured by defective miniblinds. We will seek compensation for medical expenses, future and other affected wages, disability and other related damages, pain and suffering.

Carey, Danis & Lowe will provide you with a free initial consultation. We can meet with you in our office, at the hospital or in the privacy of your home. Contact Carey, Danis & Lowe online or call 877-678-3400.

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