Strangulation Death of a Child Prompts · Recalled
Strangulation Death of a Child Prompts Recall To Repair Window Blinds By Vertical Land
Horizontal Blinds: The blinds do not have inner cord stop devices to prevent the accessible inner cords from being pulled out. If an inner cord is pulled out, a child can become entangled in the loop and strangle. Vertical Blinds: Strangulations can occur if a child's neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop formed by the bead chain or by the cord with a weighted device. Cellular Shades: Strangulations can occur if a child's neck becomes entangled on the shade's free-standing looped cord.
- Units
- About 15,400 (horizontal), 16,400 (vertical), 800 (cellular shades)
- Reports
- 2,006
- Injuries
- —
- Deaths
- —
- Price
- $60–$200
- Remedy
- See notice
Reports, injuries, deaths and price are read out of the notice’s wording by rules, so they can miss unusual phrasing. The official notice is the record.
Affected
This recall involves all Vertical Land custom-made vertical and cellular window coverings that do not have a cord tensioning device and horizontal blinds that do not have inner cord stop devices. A sticker identification label can be found on the head rail of some of the window coverings which lists the company's name, address and telephone number.
The file
- Sold at
- Vertical Land stores in Panama City and Pensacola, Fla. from January 1992 through December 2006 for between $60 and $200 (depending on the size of the blind).
- Product type
- Blinds, Shades & Cords
- Made in
- United States
- Recalled by
- Vertical Land Inc., of Panama City Beach, Fla.
Incident log
In May 2006, CPSC received a report of a 4-year-old girl from Pensacola, Fla., who strangled in the loop of a vertical blind cord that was not attached to the wall or floor.
What the notice says to do
Consumers should immediately stop using the window coverings and contact Vertical Land to receive a free retrofit kit.
For additional information, contact Vertical Land at (800) 423-8653 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.
Recall notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This site is independent: always confirm on the official notice before acting.
Notice first dated AUG 26 2009; last revised JUN 13 2014.
