Portable Bed Handle Recalled Over Risk of Entrapment, Death
Hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries have been linked to portable bed rails in recent years, according to a New York Times report.
The manufacturer of a portable bed rail is recalling approximately 113,000 of the potentially defective products over concerns about a risk of strangulation and suffocation, following reports of at least three deaths involving consumers using the bed handles. The portable bed handle recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on May 20, amid concerns that elderly users of the products, which were manufactured by Bed Handles Inc., may become entrapped between the mattress and the raised bed handles when the rail is attached to a bed without the safety retention straps. If you have been injured by a potentially defective portable bed rail, or if you lost a loved one in a portable bed handle accident, contact an experienced product liability lawyer today to discuss your legal options.
Risk of Death Posed by Recalled Bed Rails
The portable bed rails affected by the recall are made up of separate pieces of steel with a raised handle that can be attached to a bed by sliding the poles under the mattress. The handles are commonly used in assisted living facilities and residential care facilities, in order to create a supportive living environment for elderly or disabled individuals. However, the CPSC has found that the portable bed rails may actually put users at risk for serious injury or possibly even death caused by entrapment, due to a hazard posed by gaps that appear between the mattress and hand rails if the steel tubes slide out from under the bed.
Recalled Portable Bed Rail Models
The recalled models of portable bed rails, which are made from ¾-inch tubular steel and have three-foot adjustable poles that extend under the mattress, include the following products:
- Original Bedside Assistant – Model Number BA10W
- Travel Handles – Model Number BA11W
- Adjustable Bedside Assistant – Model Number AJ1
The recalled portable bed rails were manufactured in the United States by Bed Handles Inc., and were sold at drug stores, home health care stores and medical equipment stores nationwide, between January 1994 and December 2007, for approximately $100.
A Skilled Product Liability Lawyer Can Help
Serious concerns have been raised about the safety of portable bed rails in recent years, and 2012, the New York Times published an article identifying more than 150 deaths and 35,000 injuries caused by such bed handles. In December 2013, the FDA issued its own warning about the safety hazards linked to portable bed rails, alerting consumers to the potential risks of entrapment posed by the products. If you have suffered injuries caused by a defective consumer product, such as a portable bed rail, our consumer advocates at the Leading Justice can help. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers harmed by dangerous products, and can put you in touch with a reputable attorney who has experience handling product liability claims.
[box type=”note” align=”aligncenter” ]Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Adult-Portable-Bed-Handles-Recalled-by-Bed-Handles-Inc/[/box]