In addition to being the start of the Christmas shopping season, Black Friday is often regarded as one of the biggest shopping days of the year, thanks in part to the deals many retailers advertise in the days leading up to Black Friday.
But amidst the rush to get everything on your shopping list, it’s easy to forget about the fact that sometimes the products we buy aren’t always safe. Defects and hidden dangers aren’t uncommon here in the United States – defects that can put you and your family at risk of injury. But thanks to the efforts of two government agencies, finding a defective children’s toys on store shelves this Black Friday may be less likely this year.
For those who don’t know, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) joined forces this year in an effort to stop dangerous and defective toys from landing on store shelves from oversea’s distributors. In past years, efforts such as this have stopped more than 8 million dangerous children’s toys and products from reaching consumers and causing harm, explains a press release from PR Newswire.
CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye says it best when he states, “Children are our most vulnerable consumers.” By joining forces with CBP, both government agencies are making sure the gifts under your tree are “a source of joy, rather than tragedy.”
Even though efforts from agencies like CPSC can minimize the number of defective toys and children’s products that make their way onto store shelves – either by domestic or foreign distributors – not all dangers are caught. In fact, in 2015 alone, an estimated 185,500 injuries were reported in addition to 11 deaths due to dangerous or defective toys.
When product manufacturers rush products to market or ignore federal safety regulations, accidents can happen, injuring innocent children in the process. Negligence on the part of manufacturers doesn’t have to go unanswered. Parents can take legal action and seek compensation for their children’s injuries with help from a product liability attorney if they so choose.