The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has begun warning consumers who purchased Lane or Virginia Maid cedar chests to replace the locks on them. The chests had latches and locks that would automatically lock when the chest closed. This has been deemed a hazard for children, as 14 children have died between 1977 and 2015. Once inside, the children were unable to open the chest or break the lock, and they suffocated.
The chests were manufactured between 1912 and 1987 and sold by Lane or Virginia Maid. They are identified by the brand name present on the chest. Last year, in 2017, United Furniture Industries acquired the brand names and issued a recall of the products. The company now provides free replacement latches and locks to be swapped out of the chests.
This is the second recall the chests have undergone. The first was in 1996, and an estimated 12 million chests were still in homes at that time and remain there today. They have been passed down as family heirlooms, sold and subsequently bought second-hand, or given away.
In the meantime, it is recommended that anyone who owns a cedar chest should remove the latch and lock immediately. You can call United Furniture Industries to request a replacement pair and should affix them as soon as possible.
Risk of Cedar Chests
As noted above, over a dozen children have died due to climbing into the chests with no way of getting out. It is easy for children and small animals to wander into the chests and not be strong enough to open the lock from the inside. They can easily suffocate and may not be found for some time. It is crucial that the chest be out of reach of children or filled to the extent that it cannot fit a child inside of it.
In order to minimize the risks, you should remove the lock and latch or replace them, fill the chest, keep it somewhere private or hard to reach, or keep it locked from the outside.
Product Liability Details
If you intend on filing a product liability lawsuit because of damages that happened to you or a loved one from a defective cedar chest, you should be aware who is to blame.
- A design defect occurred prior to manufacturing, generally linked to the creators or the design team
- A manufacturing defect that occurred while the product was being produced, but something could have gone wrong, such as a sudden malfunction in a machine or using the wrong type of materials to build the chest
- A failure to warn users of the hazards present with the product
There was likely a design defect that occurred that made the manufacturers opt to use a strong locking mechanism. You can pursue a claim against the parent company for choosing to use such a latch and lock.
Important Steps with Recalled Products
If you wish to file a product liability claim, you should follow this procedure and set of steps to guarantee the best chance of victory.
First and foremost, do not return the item to the manufacture to receive a refund or to have the item repaired. The manufacturer can easily destroy the evidence or provide you with a totally different product. You will thus not be able to file a claim if you do not have your most crucial piece of evidence.
Do not try to fix the product by yourself without the company-provided materials. Doing so may void your lawsuit. It would thus be hard, if not impossible, to tell which damages were caused by you and what lead to the malfunction.
If a loved one were hurt by the chest and suffered suffocation or any other kind of damages, you should seek medical attention immediately. A gap in medical treatment can be used against you by the company’s insurance agency.
Hold on to any receipts, documents of purchase, credit card statements, or anything else that shows that you rightfully bought the chest and it is in your possession.
Finally, call a skilled product liability attorney at Normandie Law Firm who can help file your lawsuit for you.
Legal Details
If one of your children passed away because of a locked cedar chest, you could earn wrongful death expenses from the company. These damages include funeral and burial expenses, pre-death pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and more. You could also pursue other damages, such as lost wages and emotional trauma.
Our lawyers will do all we can to bring you the compensation you deserve.
You should make sure that you file a lawsuit within the correct amount of time or you will not be able to receive any restitution. You only have 2 years from the date of the injury to take legal action.
If you have questions or if you’re curious about how much longer you have until your statute of limitations runs out, call a qualified attorney at Normandie Law Firm.
Our Law Firm’s Promise
Normandie Law Firm employs a host of attorneys who have years of experience handling product liability claims. We have spent much time studying the law and know the best strategies to winning such cases. If you are in need of a dedicated lawyer who will fight tooth and nail to bring you fair compensation, contact our law group. We are willing to bring your case to court and will aggressively work to secure you the money you deserve to cover all of your expenses.
Call us today to schedule a free legal consultation with an accomplished lawyer. All consultations are confidential and all of our lawyers are available around the clock – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll answer all of your questions and will tell you what we believe we can win for you with your case.
We’ll also give you our zero fee guarantee, which promises that you won’t touch your personal savings throughout the case. We will cover the case’s costs and will only get paid if we win – the fees will be taken from the settlement we bring you. If we lose, you owe us absolutely nothing, and you can walk away scot free.
Reach out to Normandie Law Firm today to get started filing a product liability claim with a dedicated lawyer.
