The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Ace Bayou Corp. have announced that they are voluntarily recalling about 2.2 million bean bag chairs following the death of two children.
According to the CPSC, the zippers on the chairs can be opened and children can crawl inside them and get trapped. Children could suffocate or choke on the bean bag chairs foam beads. A voluntary standard typically requires that non-refillable bean bag chairs have closed and permanently disabled zippers.
According to the CPSC, a 13-year-old boy from McKinney, Texas and three-year-old girl from Lexington, Kentucky died after inhaling the chairs foam beads and suffocating. Both children were found inside the bean bag chairs.
The recalled chairs were sold at the following stores:
- Bergner’s
- Big Lots
- Bon-Ton
- Boston Store
- Carson’s
- Elder-Beerman
- Herberger’s
- Meijer
- Pamida
- School Specialty
- Wayfair
- Walmart
- Younkers
They were also sold online on Amazon.com, Meijer.com, Walmart.com and other online retailers.
The chairs have two zippers that can be unzipped and opened, one on the exterior cover and the other directly underneath that zipper. Several sizes including the round or L-shaped models have been affected.
Consumers should check their bean bag chairs for any zippers that can open and should keep them away from the reach of children. Ace Bayou can be contacted for a free repair kit that can help consumers disable the zippers so that the bean bags cannot be opened.
In 1995, the same company recalled 10 million zippered bean bag chairs for a similar issue. CPSC was aware of five deaths and 27 incidents in which children and toddlers inhaled or ingested the bean bag filling. In some cases, children crawled inside the bags and suffocated; other children choked on the bean bag filling.
Have you or someone you love been injured due to a defective product? Have you lost a loved one due to the careless actions of a product manufacturer?
The product liability attorneys at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy believe that negligent manufacturers who have caused others harm need to be held accountable for their actions. A Cincinnati personal injury lawyer from our firm can help you determine what your legal rights are and if you may be entitled to file a claim for damages.