Fisher-Price Re-Announces Product Recall Following News Of More Infant Deaths
Fisher-Price is issuing a follow-up recall to the initial one it published back in 2019 pertaining to its Rock n' Play Sleeper product after eight additional infant deaths were connected to the item.
Fisher-Price has recalled its Rock ‘n Play Sleepers for a second time since 2019. The move comes after eight infant deaths occurred following the initial announcement. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 100 fatalities have now been linked to the baby product. Parents have been advised to stop using the sleeper immediately.
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission
“We are issuing a Fisher-Price recall because, despite their removal from the marketplace and a prohibition on their sale, babies continue to die in these products,” CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric said in a statement via the New York Post. “I urge all parents, grandparents, and caregivers to follow the guidance of this announcement and stop using these products immediately.”
At the time of the first Fisher-Price recall in April 2019, more than 30 infant deaths were linked to Rock ‘n Play Sleepers. Babies were suffocated after rolling from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. Since the recall, 70 additional fatalities have been reported.
At least of those deaths were reported to have occurred after the initial Fisher-Price recall announcement. “Approximately 100 deaths have reportedly occurred while infants were in the products,” the CPSC continued. However, in some instances the company has been unable to confirm the circumstances of the incidents or that the product was a Rock ‘n Play Sleeper.
The 2019 recall affected around 4.7 million Rock ‘n Play Sleepers which were sold at stores like Walmart, Target, and Amazon from September 2009 to April 2019. At the time, Fisher-Price General Manager, Chuck Scothon said the recall was the best course of action. And that the company would continue to stand by the safety of all its baby products.
“We want parents around the world to know that safety will always be a cornerstone of our mission,” Scothon said in 2019 via CNN Business. He added that Fisher-Price is committed to these values and will continue to prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of the infants and preschoolers who use its products. Now, it is illegal to sell or distribute the recalled Rock ‘n Play Sleepers.
Still, two class action lawsuits were filed against Fisher-Price after the 2019 recall of Rock ‘n Play Sleepers. According to the New York Post, the first was filed by Samantha and Zachary Mundy who lost their 12-week-old daughter minutes after she was placed in the sleeper. Another lawsuit was filed by Long Island native Cassandra Mulvey.
The Mundys lawsuit also states that the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper is defective as its design causes injuries. Meanwhile, Mulvey says that Mattel’s marketing of the product is dangerously false and misleading because the product is not safe for all-night or prolonged sleep for babies. Her filing also alleges that the sleeper increases the risk of an infant’s head slipping into a position that may cause death by asphyxiation.
Additionally, Fisher-Price has been accused of failing to act responsibly even though the company was warned that its Rock ‘n Play Sleeper product was causing infant deaths for more than a decade.
