An $8 million settlement has been reached regarding the death of a child by an infant shoulder sling.
According to The Legal Intelligencer, the SlingRider, manufactured by Infantino LLC, is an infant carrier that has recently been blamed for multiple infant deaths due to a suspected unsafe design that restricts breathing.
The suit, which has been filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, alleges that flaws in Infantino LLC’s product caused the suffocation and death of a baby boy in February, 2009. According to court papers, the mother said that she was carrying her twin sons in separate SlingRiders as she took the public bus to an appointment. After she found her son unresponsive and was rushed to a local hospital, her baby was pronounced dead. These events prompted an autopsy, where the medical examiner reported that the SlingRider may be to blame.
The lawsuit also alleged that “Infantino had not tested the SlingRider for safety before marketing and selling it, and that Infantino falsely claimed compliance with industry standards in order to promote SlingRider sales.” Infantino did not issue a recall until a fourth child was killed under similar circumstances.
The Intelligencer reports that “the settlement is an $8 million lump sum, with allocations to be made between survival and wrongful death claims.”
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a faulty product and have significant injuries or wrongful death, you should consult with a Lopez McHugh attorney to discuss your legal rights.
