Having already been the subject of a 2007 recall, Bumbo Baby seats have once again become a reason for worry. Subsequently, numerous children have been injured after maneuvering out of or falling from these baby seats. Of significant concern, however, are several traumatic head injuries that have occurred during such a fall. Accordingly, the falling hazard has been addressed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) who recently announced a nationwide recall of every Bumbo Baby Seat.
Bumbo Baby Seats were developed by Bumbo International Trust, of South Africa. Each individual seat was developed with the intentions of helping children sit up on their own accord without the assistance of others. Accordingly, they serve to stabilize the child into a slight hip flexion, placing the pelvis in a slight anterior pelvic tilt which facilitates lumbar extension. This action, combined with the gentle curve of the seat back that matches the natural curve of the rib cage, facilitates the baby around the lower ribs and trunk for stabilization.
The Seats allow for active practice of the head and postural trunk control. They also give infants the pelvic stability needed to get the hands into the mid line for play. Upright positioning facilitates an improved visual field of the environment, improved respirations and breath control, assists a baby who needs to be upright after feeding due to reflux and many other benefits.
However, a recent influx of adverse injury reports suggest that Bumbo Baby Seats subject a child to unnecessary and dangerous injuries. According to the CPSC, babies can maneuver out of or fall from the Bumbo seat, posing a risk of serious injuries. The CPSC, in association with Bumbo International, are aware of at least 50 incidents after the October 2007 voluntary recall in which babies fell from a Bumbo seat while it was being used on a raised surface. Unfortunately, nineteen of the injuries sustained to those children resulted in a serious skull fractures.
Complicating the already volatile situation are an additional 34 post-recall reports of infants who fell out or maneuvered out of a Bumbo seat used on the floor or at an unknown elevation. Two of the post-recall falls resulted in the fracturing of an infant’s skull while the others reported bumps, bruises and other minor injuries.
A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the eight bones that form the cranial portion of the skull, usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is excessive, the bone may fracture at or near the site of the impact and cause damage to the underlying physical structures contained within the skull such as the membranes, blood vessels and brains, even in the absence of a fracture.
Due to the rate and severity in which these injuries have occurred, Bumbo and the CPSC have initiated a nationwide recall of approximately 4 million Bumbo Baby Seats. Such a recall may have overwhelming repercussions on the developer and could potentially lead to many Bumbo Baby Seat recall lawsuits.
The bottom of the Bumbo seat is round and flat with a diameter of about 15 inches. It is constructed of a single piece of molded foam and comes in various colors. The seat has leg holes and the seat back wraps completely around the child. On the front of the seat in raised lettering is the word “Bumbo” with the image of an elephant on top. The bottom of the seat has the following words: “Manufactured by Bumbo South Africa Material: Polyurethane World Patent No. PCT: ZA/1999/00030.” The back of the seat has several warnings and seats manufactured since 2008 have an additional label on the front of the seat warning against use on raised surfaces.
The recalled Bumbo Baby Seats retail for between $30 and $50 and were sold between August 2003 through August 2012 at the following locations:
- Sears
- Target
- Toys R Us
- Babies R Us
- USA Babies
- Walmart
- Various retail stores nationwide
- Various online sellers
Do I Have a Bumbo Baby Seat Lawsuit?
The trial lawyers at The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP have decades of experience navigating through complex legislative and regulatory issues and litigating high stakes cases all over the nation. Our law firm focuses on the representation of plaintiffs in Bumbo Baby Seat lawsuits. We are currently accepting new cases in all 50 states.
If you or a loved one has a child that was injured by a Bumbo Baby Seat you may be entitled to financial compensation. For a free case review, please click the link below or call toll free 24 hrs/day 1-(949) 557-5800.