Pushchair amputation risk recall

[Fuschia]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8351424.stm

[curlykaren]

ouch, how ghastly.

On the subject of pushchairs did anyone see the woman on a train platform in australia whose three wheeler rolled off the platform into the path of a train (few weeks back now)? How the baby was not killed is a miracle!

[The Nappy Lady]

Wasn't it unbelievable Karen....I still shudder every time I think about it.

Not the same, but when I used to commute there was an incident where a woman was getting a buggy with a baby in, and a toddler off the train at Denmark Hill and the train driver closed the doors and moved off when she had the buggy off but hadn't yet gone back for the toddler. The woman was (understanderbly) hysterical, and they had to put her in a taxi with baby and get her to Peckham Rye, where the toddler had been taken off the train by Railway Staff. Absolutely terrifying thing to happen.

Molly

[EDmummy]

Important to point out that the article says it does not affect UK buggies.

[Fuschia]

The Nappy Lady Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Not the same, but when I used to commute there was

> an incident where a woman was getting a buggy with

> a baby in, and a toddler off the train at Denmark

> Hill and the train driver closed the doors and

> moved off when she had the buggy off but hadn't

> yet gone back for the toddler. The woman was

> (understanderbly) hysterical, and they had to put

> her in a taxi with baby and get her to Peckham

> Rye, where the toddler had been taken off the

> train by Railway Staff. Absolutely terrifying

> thing to happen.

I was on the tube once where a toddler got left next to me in the same way.. I got off at the next stop with him and LUL used their radios to reassure the poor mother, stuck at the previous stop!

>

> Molly

[Moos]

Here's another amazing story, with a happy ending.

Born on a train...

[sophiesofa]

Yes that buggy on a train video is absolutely incredible - a miraculous event.

I once more or less threw a toddler off a train when the train doors were closing and the mother hadn't had time to go back for him. In hindsight I should have jumped off with the toddler and got back on the next train but it all happened so quickly.

[EDmummy]

Update on Maclaren issue here.

[Polly D]

Moos Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Here's another amazing story, with a happy

> ending.

>

> Born on a train...

Do you really think this happened?

[Moos]

I think so - it was reported in the international press. But perhaps I'm just gullible.

[Polmoche]

Anyone else confused about this Maclaren story--so American customers get added protection, but UK owners of identical models only get a reminder to keep children clear of a buggy while it's being folded??? I can easily see a scene where you think your child is clear, only to have their finger clipped while you are temporarily distracted yet still folding your buggy!

[Pickle]

Having watched the item on the news last night I think it's being hyped up unnecessarily. I think the Americans have jumped on it in typical American style, but my view is that kids have just as much risk of getting a fingertip chopped off in hundreds of every day situations, and to keep your child away from the buggy when folding it isn't such a hardship.

[damzel]

My thoughts exactly, Pickle. I have one of them and I'm not unduly concerned about it although I'll take more care now to ensure that my little one isn't too close when it's folding, so glad that it's been highlighted

[Polmoche]

If they are the same exact product then Maclaren should allow British customers to have the same safety kits. 12 amputations in my view is too many. It's too easy with kids to get distracted, which I'm betting what happened in those 12 cases--after all even Americans are not that stupid to fold a pram with their child inside it.

[helena handbasket]

I find that there are a lot of safety issues that have been big news in Canada but not ever mentioned here. Granted, Canadians are fierce about having the government provide safety information and provisions, but frankly I am glad to at least have the information so I can be better informed. I think it's shameful that I don't at least have the option of getting the device.

And no, Americans aren't that stupid. Withholding safety measure to prove that we are not American is.

[Keef]

What Pickle said.

Radio 4 interviewed a woman, and she just made me wish her fingers had been cut off, to be honest.

[Smiler]

Maclaren website says "customers who want further reassurance can obtain hinge covers, which can be used to cover the folding mechanism, free of charge through customer services by emailing us at [email protected] or by calling us on 01327 841320."

"We appreciate that this issue has raised genuine concerns and that for some UK parents the provision and use of a simple hinge cover will provide additional reassurance. We have, therefore, decided to provide these free of charge to any parents who call our customer services."

[Jamma]

Most interesting aspect of this story is that it's been a massive PR fail by Maclaren. I'm sure there's lots of PR folk domiciled in East Dulwich, get pitched for the Maclaren account because there's going to be a vacancy very soon.

[sunbob]

I wonder if it's more likely that a company would be sued successfully and also that damages awarded would be larger in the USA? As the product and its instructions seem to be the same in Europe and USA I can't really think of any other reason for recalling there and not here.

[ruffers]

Jamma Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Most interesting aspect of this story is that it's

> been a massive PR fail by Maclaren. I'm sure

> there's lots of PR folk domiciled in East Dulwich,

> get pitched for the Maclaren account because

> there's going to be a vacancy very soon.

Has it? Seems to me they've been quite open about it, they've offered a solution, and that any sensible person knows they're only doing what they're doing in the US because it's such a litigious culture.

And to clarify courtesy of http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/uk/maclaren+buggy+recall+why+not+here/3417817

In America, the term "recall" does not mean a product is recommended to be returned. Maclaren says "it means corrective action or the modification of products which can be carried out in the home", so it insists there is no need for pushchairs sold in Britain to be returned.

I trapped my kids fingers in car boots and door hinges, it's for parents to take responsibility surely. Attention's been drawn to it.... crack on.

[Polmoche]

I?m surprised that this debate has come down to what really is a criticism on people?s parenting skills?chopped off fingers = careless parenting. If you actually bother to see how those accidents occurred many of them occurred in a split second when parents thought their children were safely out of the way but weren?t. One child for example ran in and jumped in the buggy just as the mother was snapping it open. Another got his finger amputated all the way when his mother was getting a demo at a store on how the buggy works. Were these poor parents not being ?sensible?, or just unlucky? One of the first reported cases goes back 5 years ago, quite a while not to do anything about it, considering that a simple cover on the offending hinge would have done the job. And that?s what we?re talking about here, a SIMPLE COVER that doesn?t necessitate some radical and expensive design change for Maclaren that probably doesn?t cost all that much for them to knock out. As for comparisons to car doors, knives etc., people know the inherent dangers of these products. Did anyone honestly think that if there child?s finger got caught in a buggy hinge that it ran the risk of being cut off? I certainly thought it might be a bit mashed, but amputated? Surely, we should hold children?s products to a higher standard, especially if the problem as in Maclaren?s case could have been fixed easily and cheaply? And as for ?only? 12 cases in one million, that?s 12 cases reported, not of actual instances where the parents did not mention it to the company.

Also, I think people misunderstand how the CSPC works in the US. It is a consumer protection agency, not a place where you sign up en masse to sue a manufacturer. Likewise, just because a manufacturer has a recalled item doesn?t mean that they will be sued. In the US, the Bugaboo Bee was also recalled by the CSPC because of a faulty brake, though that was never mentioned in the UK. There were no reported injuries, just some a hundred or so complaints that the brakes were not sticking properly, which prompted Bugaboo to put out brake replacement kits. Surely it?s a good thing to have an agency like this looking out for the consumer?