Austin children at risk of injury with collapsible hampers

Children are a parent’s pride and joy but that joy can soon turn to terror when precious children are injured in unexpected ways. Despite all the steps that parents take to keep their children safe, accidents can still happen and sometimes those accidents are the fault of a manufacturer.

Although only two cases of injury to children are reported on this product so far, parents should be watchful of the dangers posed by collapsible laundry hampers. In the two reported cases, a sharp wire from the collapsible hamper broke free and poked a child in the eye on two separate occasions. One child was placing clothes in the laundry basket when a concealed wire suddenly popped up and cut his eye. An eye doctor commented that eye injuries are uncommon but very serious, sometimes leading to vision loss, but prompt emergency treatment in those situations are critical. The product in question has been reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Regardless of any action that may be taken by that agency, parents are urged to watch their children around collapsible hampers.