Bed Rail Recalls Highlight Suffocation, Fall Dangers

an elderly person's hand with an IV port rests on a bed railBed rail accidents are on the rise, and corporations who make them are beginning to be held accountable for deaths and injuries.

Within the last two years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has advised consumers against the use of adult portable bed rails (APBRs) from at least six different companies. These products have been used for the purpose providing assistance to elderly or disabled people when getting in and out of bed, but in recent years, they have been the cause of a number entrapments and asphyxiations.

Following several bed rail-related deaths in the United States and Canada, the CPSC has placed an additional recall on more than 53,000 adult portable bed rails.

Since 2003, nearly 70,000 adults have been sent to the hospital for injuries sustained while using their portable bed rails. The CPSC placed previous recalls in 2014 and 2015 as a result of entrapments that occurred due to a lack of safety retention straps, which help to keep the bed rails in place. While this issue was addressed, the CPSC still reported 247 fatalities related to APBRs through the end of 2019.

The Dangers
The Population Reference Bureau estimates that more than 9 million Americans will be diagnosed with dementia by the year 2030. The people diagnosed with these disorders are, tragically, the ones that are most likely to experience an accident while using their portable bed rails.

Unfortunately, these and others can fall between the bed rails and the mattress, under the bed rail, or through the bed rails resulting in entrapment and even asphyxiation when they are unable to escape. This occurs when the bed rails are not securely attached to a bed frame.

Bed rails can also create a fall hazard when they are used for support for someone who experiences difficulty standing alone.

The majority of bed rail-related fatalities involved victims aged 70 years or older, most with underlying medical conditions.

While several of the companies that produced these bed rails are offering to provide repair kits and new rails, OnderLaw aims to hold these companies accountable and provide justice to those that have lost their loved ones because of these deadly products.

RECALLED BED RAIL MANUFACTURERS
Adult Bed Rails
PlatinumHealth
LumaRail Bed Assist Rails (Feb. 2023)
EssentialMedical Supply Inc.
Endurance Hand Bed Rails (Dec. 2021)
BeyondMedShop
Vaunn Medical Bed Assist Rail (March 2023)
Nova Medical Products
Home Bed Rails (Dec. 2022)
Compass Health Brands
Carex Adult Portable Bed Rails (Dec. 2021)
Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare
Bed Assist Handles
Bed Assist Rail

WHY
Entrapment
Risk of asphyxiation
Death

If your loved one was seriously injured or killed in an accident related to bed rails, we want to help. Call 800-799-2824 so we can discuss the next steps. There is no obligation and the consultation is free.