Family Voices

Abigail

On September 20, 2007, my wife and I awoke to hear our 13 month old baby, Abigail, screaming and a banging noise. My wife looked into the video monitor and believed the crib looked broken. I ran in the room and to my disbelief the crib rails had separated at one top corner, pinching her hand. If we had not noticed this in our monitor, Abigail might have been trapped. It could have been a disaster.  I could see that the bolt was drilled in too close to the edge and broke out.

I called Bassettbaby, the crib’s manufacturer, that day. I was told someone would call me back and informed that no one could help us for a few days. 

When I finally spoke with Bassett Vice President Mr. Lex Bendall four days later, he stated that this was an isolated problem. He also stated he would not or did not have to report this to anyone including CPSC. I invited him to send someone to my home to investigate the crib. He declined.

 A month later, Bassett's lawyer contacted me and said there was going to be a recall by the CPSC. This situation lasted 48 days before the recall was released. Since my Abigail’s horrific situation I have been on a one man crusade to do something about it.  While the recall is a good first step, my heart dropped when I saw there were 85 prior complaints of loosening hardware, despite the company’s assurances that mine was an isolated incident.

When I think of what could have happened to my daughter or another child, it forces me to continue to advocate for a stronger children’s product safety system. That responsibility should not have to lie in a consumer’s hand.   Whoever denies change in this system is just killing our children.