Aqua-Leisure Agrees to $650,000 Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Defective Baby Boats | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What Happened:

In 2001, Aqua-Leisure and the U.S. consumer product safety administration conducted a recall of 90,000 inflatable baby boats after receiving 12 reports of the seats tearing and causing children to fall into the water. Four children became completely submerged before a caregiver was able to reach them.

But after the recall, the company continued to produce different versions of the inflatable baby boats which also were defective. Aqua-Leisure became aware of 17 incidents involving inflatable baby boats sold after the 2001 recall in which the seats “fell out,” “ripped,” “failed,” “tore,” “split” or “separated.”

The settlement resolves allegations that Aqua-Leisure knowingly failed to report a defect involving its inflatable baby boats to CPSC immediately, as required by federal law.

The Virginia Injury Lawyer’s Perspective:

As an experienced Virginia (VA) Defective and Faulty Products attorney I know that after suffering an injury from a defective product you must be able to prove the product was unreasonably dangerous or defective.  In this case it was proved by the CPSC that the product was dangerous yet the company kept producing the same type of product under a different name.

The worst part is that this product was manufactured for babies.  It is a miracle that this product didn’t result in wrongful death of several children.   Federal law requires manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to report to CPSC immediately (within 24 hours) after obtaining information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product contains a defect.  Yet after 17 complaints the company still hadn’t notified authorities. 

Potentially Helpful Info

My colleagues and I also publish a dangerous drugs report that offers preliminary advice about what to do if you or a family member is harmed by a dangerous product.  You should also consult with one of our experienced Virginia (VA) personal injury attorneys.

Have Questions? Check Out Our Firm’s FAQs.

We also offer an extensive list of attorney’s answers to frequently asked questions about product injuries.

CT