J.W. Elphinstone of the Associated Press had an article in the Chicago Tribune today discussing the Delta Enterprises recall of 1.6 million older models of a drop-side crib after two infant deaths. The company indicated on Monday that 985,000 drop-side cribs, made between 1985 and 2007 require safety pegs that may be lost during the assembly process. In addition to those models, another 600,000 cribs made during the same time frame may contain worn out springs that also pose significant dangers to infants.
One of the infant deaths involved a missing safety peg. The crib’s side became detached, resulting in a gap. The infant became stuck in the gap and suffocated. The circumstances leading to the second infant death were similar. In that instance, a worn spring peg failed to lock the side of the crib into place. The side detached and the infant suffocated after becoming stuck in the resulting gap.
According to Jack Gutt, a spokesman for the company, “Anyone who calls and has these cribs that were constructed in these time periods, we’re going to send anybody and everybody either additional pegs or the retrofit kit”. The diagrams below are from the Delta recall site, and show how the involved cribs would appear.
In addition to details contained in the recall, Delta has established a helpline at 1-800-876-5304. The Consumer Product Safety Commission[CPSC]has also issued a Press Release giving details about the recall. Thankfully, the CPSC acted a little quicker this time around, as compared to its glacial response when the dangers with Simplicity bassinets recently became known.