cape cod personal injury attorneyThis is an exciting time of the year, even for a Cape Cod personal injury lawyer like myself.

I guess you are just never too old to have fun!

Without a doubt, our toddlers and young children are a main component in bringing us that holiday cheer.

No one can deny that Christmas shopping for kids is probably one of the best things about the season – far better than endlessly wracking your brain to come up with a suitable gift for your mother-in-law who has everything anyway.

However it’s not unusual to see an uptick in product liability personal injury cases during this time of the year. The increase in personal injury product liability cases makes good sense, considering the vast amount of toys that are exchanged.

Cape Cod Personal Injury Attorney Toys to Stay Away From

With the holidays coming and Black Friday already here, here’s something to think about as you rush to the toy stores of the Cape Cod Mall, Providence Place, Wrentham Outlets, or eBay.

This morning I came across an article on The Cape Cod Times. You can view the full article by clicking here.

According to the Cape Cod Times’ article, consumer advocates were happy to report that “toys are safer than ever before” – I think we can all agree that this is really great news.

However as a Cape Cod personal injury attorney, reason for concern remains.

The article recommends avoiding these types of toys listed here:

  • Small items that could easily cause choking
  • Toys that are loud
  • Toys with high lead levels
  • Toys that include magnets

While certain toys received a particularly “bad rap” including:

  • A Morphobot action figure contains an excessive amount of lead, so much so that it exceeded the federal limit on how much lead can be in a toy?
  • A Dora The Explorer backpack had a high level of phthalates (chemicals used to make products softer) These chemicals have been linked to health problems including reproductive defects.
  • The Dora the Explorer guitar and a set of colorful toy car keys for infants were cited for being excessively loud.
  • Snake Eggs, a finger-play magnet toy for children raised concern due to the likelihood of small children ingesting its parts.

Warnings for Bikes and Scooters

Bikes, scooters, and motorized toys were not mentioned in this particular article. However, I found myself curious so I looked into what was considered to be the “top toys” for the Holidays this year.

I found that Scooters are still in high demand. The Y-Volution YFliker F1 scooter and the Chillafish Bunzi 2-in-1 Balance Bike seem to be particularly popular.

The scooter, designed for 5-9 year olds. However the Bunzi Balance Bike is specially designed for one to three year olds as a stepping stone for those preparing to ride a bike. It is 55 pounds in weight and is meant to teach our youngsters balance.

By no means am I suggesting that either of these toys is a catastrophe waiting to happen, but just be vigilant when your little bugger is zooming around!

No one wants to see a child injured or suffering. Even after 22 years of law experience, personal injury law cases involving children always saddens me.

I wish you the best this Holiday season. Stay safe, have fun and enjoy.

Take care,

Kevin