Deaths and injuries of young children from corded mini coverings are tragic and senseless, yet these events continue to occur on a regular basis in the United States. Many homes still have old corded mini blinds in use; in addition, there are still many dangerous window coverings available for sale that are unsafe for children. An estimated 17 million homes in the U.S. still having children living in the presence of hazardous mini blinds. Mini blind cords are a silent and pervasive killer throughout our country. It is our firm belief that mini blinds with cords are never safe for children and must be outlawed completely.
Since 1986, nearly 600 mini blind cords deaths and injuries have been reported. Experts suggest this figure represents only a fraction of the actual mini blind cord strangulation and injury incidents. The tragic fact is that each and every one of these mini blind cord injuries and deaths – reported and unreported – could have been prevented.
Some mini blind manufacturers market their corded products as “child safe”. As leading advocates for mini blind cord injury elimination, our thorough research on the topic has convinced our attorneys that mini blind cords are inherently dangerous. The widespread practice of retracting products after mini blind injuries and deaths have been reported is not an effective way to eliminate the risk of mini blind cord strangulation to young children.
Cordless technology to prevent mini blind cord injuries became widely available in 1996. Why then, have companies continued to sell dangerous products which pose a risk for mini blind cord strangulation in the decades since? Part of the blame falls to federal regulators, who have never enacted a comprehensive and mandatory set of standards that would eliminate the risk and thus preclude future mini blind cord strangulations and injuries. Secondly, we look to manufacturers, who have knowingly developed and sold dangerous mini blinds. In some cases, products have not been recalled until years after they were first released, and only then because of the threat of litigation based on multiple mini blind injury or strangulation reports.
There are many different ways a child may become entangled in a cord, or otherwise suffer a mini blind cord injury. Some are obvious and adults in the home can take measures to prevent them. Other mini blind cord injuries come as a shock to parents and other caretakers. A culmination of mini blind injury and death reports over the years reveal these common mini blind injuries:
It is impossible to replace the loss of a child, and our hearts go out to the families who have suffered such an unbearable tragedy. What we can do is do everything in our power to make real change in the mini blind cord industry to prevent such horrific events in the future.
Technology to eliminate mini blind cord deaths and injuries is widely available. Yet widespread regulations to outlaw mini blind cords has never been enforced. As a result, American families continue to lose children to dangerous products that should have been subject to a mini blind cord recall.
Our efforts are focused on achieving the passage of mandatory safety regulations, to be enforced across the entire industry. The need for mini blind recalls would disappear, and children everywhere would benefit.
Persons and loved ones of persons whose child has suffered mini blind cord injuries or strangulation may have legal grounds to file a mini blind cord strangulation lawsuit. We provide legal representation for mini blind cord injury lawsuits on a contingency basis, meaning that we charge no fee unless we win for you. Read more about mini blind cord lawsuits.
While certain notable companies have eliminated dangerous cords, many mini blind manufacturers continue to market hazardous mini blinds to secure a small price advantage over competitors. In essence, by marketing products that persistently feature mini blind cord hazards, these companies are choosing competitive prices over human life. It is difficult to believe that anyone would knowingly choose to sell a product that poses a fatal risk to children, just to make their prices competitive.
Cordless technology which would allow window covering manufacturers to completely eliminate mini blind cord strangulation hazards was developed in 1996. This simple cordless technology costs only slightly more than dangerous corded methods. However, twenty years later, American children still die at a rate of one every two weeks from mini blind cord strangulation because regulation to prevent mini blind cord dangers has fallen short.
In 2000, the Window Covering Manufacturer’s Association recommended that only cordless products be used in homes of children 0-6. Yet to this day, few American parents are aware of the significant risk posed to their young children by mini blind cord dangers. Many people believe that tying hanging mini blind cords out of the way is sufficient to reduce the risk of strangulation. However, the third inner cord is also a hazard. Only cordless technology is truly free of mini blind strangulation dangers.
As leading mini blind cord danger attorneys, our mission is to eliminate the presence of mini blind cord hazards in American homes. Please join us in our fight to eradicate this senseless risk.
Together with a group of product safety advocates and consumer rights groups, OnderLaw has worked for decades to bring about meaningful change to protect American children from mini blind cord hazards, appealing to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to little avail. Deadly mini blind cords are still featured in many products on the market today.
For our attorneys and the families we represent, our mini blind cord hazard litigation is not about money. On behalf of the many American families who have lost a child to this senseless danger, we act out of a firm commitment to end deaths by mini blind strangulation. If you or a loved one has lost a child in a tragic accident related to a mini blind cord hazard, we urge you to consider litigation in order to prevent such tragedy from occurring in the future to other children and families.
If you are an attorney representing a family who lost a child to mini blind cord strangulation, we invite you to join with us and look forward to working with you to effect real change in the mini blind industry. Through strategic advocacy and litigation, together we can eliminate mini blind cord dangers once and for all.
