Bedside Assistant bed handles are specifically designed to assist patients in getting in and out of bed, who otherwise would be unable to accomplish the feat on their own. However, a design flaw may permit an individual to become trapped between the bed handles and the mattress. As a result, patients may fall victim to asphyxiation, strangulation, or even death.
If you or a loved one has been injured by Bedside Assistant bed handles, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free confidential case evaluation. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and we can help.
What’s the problem?
Bed Handles, Inc. designed Bedside Assistant bed handles in order to help elderly or incapable patients get in and out of bed. The bed handle system consists of a metal tubing that curves out from underneath the mattress and extends upward to act as an edge for the bed. Therefore preventing a patient from falling and causing an injury.
However, neglect on the manufacturers behalf has lead to an inherent design flaw. In the event that the handles are not firmly pressed against the side of the bed, they create a dangerous void in which patients may become entrapped. As a result, patients may be subjected to a dangerous device that can lead to asphyxiation, strangulation, or even death.
Adverse and deadly events regarding Bedside Assistant bed handles stem back as early as 1999. Since then, there have been four reported deaths due to the defective handles, but officials believe that the actual number of bed handle deaths is much higher because instances are rarely recorded. Due to the severity of this bed handle design flaw, numerous Bedside Assistant lawsuits have been filed against Bed Handles, Inc.
Bedside Assistant Warning
The particular way in which Bedside Assistant bed handles cause death is relatively straightforward and has been acknowledged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Due to its design and installation, handles can potentially slip out of place and create a void between the edge of the patient’s mattress and the metal tubing. The patient can potentially slip into this gap and become trapped. Even a minute void, particularly when used with a soft or worn mattress, can lead to patient entrapment. Death may ensue either through compression of the trachea against the metal tubing and subsequent strangulation, or through positional asphyxia.
Public Citizen Petition
In the following petition, Public Citizen has introduced a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to implement a recall of the Bedside Assistant bed handle system on the grounds that it poses an unnecessary threat to patients in hospital beds:
Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group representing more than 225,000 members and supporters nationwide, hereby petitions the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Medical Device Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 USC 360f and 360h, and 21 CFR 10.30, 810, and 895, to immediately:
- Ban the marketing of Bedside Assistant bed handles, model numbers BA10W and BA10W-6, manufactured by Bed Handles, Inc., because these devices have directly caused the deaths of at least four adult patients through entrapment and subsequent strangulation or positional asphyxia and therefore present “an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury,” the standard for the FDA to institute proceedings to ban a device under the device law, 21 USC 360f and 21 CFR 895.21. These devices are intended for medical purposes to assist patients getting into and out of bed, sitting up in bed, and rolling over in bed; they are used by patients in private homes, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes.
- Order Bed Handles, Inc. to recall all Bedside Assistant bed handles, model number BA10W and BA10W-6, that have been sold or distributed.
- Investigate thoroughly the association between the design and use of all similar bed handle or bed rail devices manufactured by Bed Handles, Inc. or any other manufacturer and the risk of life-threatening injury or death due to entrapment and subsequent strangulation or positional asphyxia, and as appropriate, based on the result of this investigation, take action to ban the marketing of, and to recall, those devices that pose similar risks of death and injury as seen with Bedside Assistant bed handles.
Do I have a Bedside Assistant 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 Bedside Assistant lawsuits. We are currently accepting new cases in all 50 states.
Again, if you or a loved one has been injured by Bedside Assistant bed handles, you should contact our lawyers immediately by clicking the link below or calling toll free 1-(949) 557-5800. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and we can help.