A desktop toy called Buckyballs presents a hazard for children who may swallow its tiny yet powerful magnetic parts. The government is seeking a mandatory recall of Buckyballs and similar products made by different companies.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has filed a rare administrative complaint against Buckyballs and another product made by Zen Magnets because children keep swallowing the parts, which use very potent rare-earth elements; 11 companies that make similar products issued voluntary recalls.
If swallowed, the strong BB-size magnets can attach to each other and cause perforations, blockages or tissue damage in the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to serious injury or even death.
If your child suffered a serious injury as a result of swallowing a Buckyballs magnet or similar magnetic part, you may want to contact a Buckyballs injury attorney or toy magnets attorney for a free case evaluation.
Overall, emergency rooms across the United States have reported 1,700 incidents involving children swallowing magnets since 2009. The maker of Buckyballs, Maxfield & Oberton Holdings, has confirmed 12 swallowing incidents, according to a report in The New York Times. (See article) Sales of Buckyballs, the predominant maker of the desktop toy which includes 216 magnets, have reached 2.5 million.
The CPSC action seeking a mandatory recall of Buckyballs is its first administrative complaint in 11 years. The last came against Daisy Manufacturing in an attempt to remove more than seven million defective BB guns, an action which followed Kline & Specter’s successful litigation against the company in a case in which a 16-year-old Bucks County boy was severely injured and eventually died after he was shot in the head with one of the powerful pump-action rifles.
In a complaint filed against the makers of Zen magnets, the CPSC said the product contains "defects in the design, packaging, warnings and instructions, which pose a substantial risk of injury to the public."
Kline & Specter, PC, a Philadelphia-based law firm with some 30 attorneys, seven of whom are also doctors, has had success litigating product liability lawsuits in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and nationwide. Contact a Buckyballs injury lawyer or Zen Magnets injury lawyer today.
