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WASHINGTON – A government safety group is warning parents not to use a Pennsylvania company's baby bassinets after two babies were trapped and strangled in the product.
The "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets, made by Simplicity Inc. of Reading, Pa., can allow infants to slip through the product and suffocate, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Simplicity Inc.'s 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than federal standards allow.
CPSC said a 5-month-old girl from Shawnee, Kan., was strangled on Aug. 21 when she became entrapped between the bassinet's metal bars. Last September, a 4-month-old girl from Noel, Mo., became entrapped in the product's metal bars and died.
SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.'s assets in April, "has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products," CPSC said in a release Wednesday. "SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc."
Simplicity recalled about 1 million cribs Sept. 21, 2007, after reports of three deaths as well as reports that seven infants had become entrapped in its cribs.
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 The corporate recklessness that is behind Simplicity Inc., the maker of the Simplicity Close-Sleeper/Bedside Sleeper, was purchased by a corporation called SFCA, Inc. The bassinet in question has been the cause of the death of two infants. The CSPC wants it recalled. SFCA refuses to do this, saying it is not responsible for products made by the company they just purchased.
From the Chicago Tribune: "The commission said it issued the alert because SFCA Inc., a former Simplicity creditor that purchased Simplicity's assets in May "has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products."
SFCA countered by saying Simplicity products are not its responsibility. "The products in question were manufactured and distributed by Simplicity Inc., a company that is no longer in business," SFCA said in a written statement. "SFCA purchased Simplicity's assets at auction after Simplicity Inc. went out of business and has no legal liability for any products distributed previously by Simplicity."
But one of the deadly bassinets the Tribune purchased Thursday carried a shipping label with the name "SFCA Inc." This seemed to contradict the written statement SFCA issued Thursday: "The CPSC product alert does not involve any product manufactured and distributed by SFCA Inc."
From The Consumerist:
The CPSC has issued a consumer alert, urging you to stop using Simplicity Inc.'s "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper” bassinets after two infants died after being strangled by the product's metal bars. The company is refusing to cooperate with the CPSC and will not recall the product.
"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to stop using convertible “close-sleeper/bedside sleeper” bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned that on August 21, 2008, a 5-month-old girl from Shawnee, Kan. was strangled to death when she became entrapped between the bassinet’s metal bars. This is the second strangulation death CPSC has learned of in the co-sleeper bassinets. On September 29, 2007, a 4-month-old girl from Noel, Mo. became entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet and died.
CPSC is issuing this safety alert because SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.’s assets at public auction in April 2008, has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products. SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc.
The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than 2 3/8 inches, which is the maximum distance allowed under the federal crib safety standard. The metal bars are covered by an adjustable fabric flap which is attached by velcro. The fabric is folded down when the bassinet is converted into a bed-side co-sleeping position. If the velcro is not properly re-secured when the flap is adjusted, an infant can slip through the opening and become entrapped in the metal bars and suffocate.
If you or someone you know has one of these products and has been injured by them, please let us help you. Put the power of Miller, Curtis & Weisbrod to work for you today.
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