Marketed as a developmental toy, water beads are colorful and tiny. They are sold in packs of hundreds or thousands. To a child's amazement, they can expand to 200 times their size when soaked in water.
While the packaging includes a choking hazard warning, that is not the real danger. Water beads can swell if they are swallowed by a young child which can result in a potentially deadly gastrointestinal or bowel obstruction. Children can also be injured by the swelling beads if they insert them in their nose or ears.
According to product liability attorney Daniel J. Mann, "It is critical for manufacturers of children’s toys to ensure that their products are safe by conducting a hazard analysis and design their products so that the most vulnerable segment of society is protected from needless harm. Those that don't should be held responsible."
Chuckle & Roar Water Beads Linked to Infant Deaths
Alan M. Feldman, Co-Managing Partner and one of the founders of Feldman Shepherd, is a dedicated and seasoned trial attorney who has secured numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements in a wide variety of matters including defective products, truck accidents and other personal injury and class action cases .
Many of the results achieved by Feldman and his team have gained national media attention transcending individual clients by shedding light on broader issues implicating public safety. They include: a $50 million recovery for the families of three toddlers who were fatally injured by IKEA dresser tip-overs; a $46 million settlement for the family of a toddler who was killed by the tip-over of an IKEA dresser that unbeknownst to his parents had been recalled; a $36 million recovery for the family of a food truck owner and her daughter who died from an explosion caused by U-Haul’s negligence in refilling a propane cylinder which lacked essential safety devices and was not legally qualified for use; and two settlements for $8 million and $7.25 million respectively for the deaths of two infants who suffocated in Infantino baby slings.
A legal thought leader who frequently writes and lectures, Feldman has been honored with many professional awards including the prestigious Justice Michael A. Musmanno Award, which is presented by the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association to an attorney who exemplifies a commitment to integrity, scholarship, imagination, courage, and concern for human rights. He also has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania every year since 2010 and was ranked as the number two Super Lawyer for three consecutive years. Feldman served as Chancellor of the 13,000 members of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 2006.
For over 25 years, Daniel J. Mann has represented individuals and families who have been victims of defectively manufactured products, trucking and motor vehicle accidents, construction and workplace accidents, premises defects, and medical malpractice. He has brought cases against manufacturers of dangerous children’s products, obstetricians and hospitals for birth injury and malpractice, trucking companies for accidents resulting in severe injury and death, and car manufacturers for unsafe vehicle construction. A partner of the firm since 2003, Mann has co-chaired more than 40 jury trials and, through verdicts and settlements, has recovered in excess of $500 million for his clients, including a $50 million settlement for the families of three toddlers who were fatally injured by IKEA dresser tip-overs, a $46 million settlement for the family of a toddler who was killed by the tip-over of an IKEA dresser that unbeknownst to his parents had been recalled; $26.1 million settlement for the victims of a tractor-trailer accident and an $18 million settlement for the survivors of a house fire caused by a defective heater.
Since joining Feldman Shepherd in 2005, Edward S. Goldis has represented victims of catastrophic injuries from automobile, construction, and workplace accidents. Goldis has also handled cases involving medical malpractice claims and has a successful history in product liability cases.
A dedicated and assertive trial lawyer, Goldis has helped secure numerous seven and eight-figure recoveries, including a $50 million settlement for the families of three toddlers who were fatally injured by IKEA dresser tip-over, a $46 million settlement for the family of a toddler who was killed by the tip-over of an IKEA dresser that unbeknownst to his parents had been recalled, $26.1 million settlement in a tractor-trailer accident case, believed to be one of the largest personal injury settlements ever reported in Pennsylvania. He has also helped secure multimillion dollar results in cases involving obstetric and delivery malpractice, industrial machinery and automobile defect, and class action cases.
Buffalo Games Recalls Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits Due to Serious Ingestion, Choking and Obstruction Hazards;
One Infant Death Reported...
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Read More
Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP attorneys are licensed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. In addition, our attorneys practice in other states on a pro hac vice basis. Pro hac vice admission is when a lawyer not licensed in a particular state associates with a lawyer who is licensed in that state and obtains the court’s permission to jointly represent a client in a specific matter.