Missouri Man among Those Injured by Defective Pool Slide
On behalf of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. posted in Defective Products on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
An inflatable water slide sold by major nationwide retailers is being blamed for causing the death of a 29-year-old woman and a severe injury suffered by a man in Springfield, Missouri. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of the defective product on May 10 to prevent further harm to the public.
The slides, named “Banzai Splash,” are made of plastic and were marketed as a fun way to slide into a backyard swimming pool. But several accidents that occurred when people attempted to use one of the slides were traced to a defect that can prevent them from holding air. Once partially deflated, the slide can collapse, causing the person using it to hit the ground beneath. Since most swimming pools are made of concrete, the results can be very serious.
In one case, a woman suffered a broken neck and died. The Springfield man was paralyzed in a similar incident. Another woman also broke her neck.
Consumers who believe they may have bought one of the defective slides should look for the words “Banzai Splash” printed on their slide. Around 21,000 slides were sold in Wal-Mart and Toys ‘R’ Us stores between January 2005 and June 2009. They have model number 15734 and barcode 2675315734 printed on the packaging.
With summer weather upon us, many people in Missouri have already begun enjoying swimming pool activities. Stories like this are a sobering reminder of what can happen when manufacturers do not live up to their responsibilities to provide reasonably safe products.
Source: Reuters, “U.S. recalls inflatable pool slides after woman’s death,” Barbara Goldberg, May 10, 2012