Newport News, Virginia (VA), importer Fun Stuff Inc. recalled tens of thousands of infant and toddler toys on September 14, 2010 because the Chinese-made rubber toys can snap when overstretched and pose a choking hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission joined Fun Stuff in announcing the recall of Click Armband Bracelets, Klick Klick Balls and BoBo Balls.
The CPSC has received at least one report of a 21-month-old child choking on a ball that came loose from one of the toys. Anyone who experiences problems with the recalled products should also contact the agency by clicking here.
Fun Stuff sold the potentially dangerous toys in beach and resort souvenir shops, such as those that line the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach and the seaside roads on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (NC). This gives the recall particular relevance to readers of this blog.
Each year, companies and the CPSC order hundreds of products that can and have injured or killed young children off the U.S. market. Cribs, strollers and window blinds with cords have made headlines repeatedly over the past year, but any product that imperils the youngest and most vulnerable members of our families must be taken out of our homes and off store shelves.
The harm from the Fun Stuff toys thankfully appears limited and minor. Too often, however, children get killed or disabled by products their parents never should have been able to buy in the first place. I applaud the CPSC and Fun Stuff for their quick action in this case, even as I hope such recalls stop being necessary.
EJL
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, whose attorneys work out of offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, Eastern Shore Virginia Injury Attorneys Blog and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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