How They Kill | Possible Solutions | Other Taken Angel's | Do You Know Someone?

My Little Boy

Heaven's Day

In Memory Of ...
Nicholas Connor
... light a candle in
23 Days, 3 Hours, and 19 Minutes GMT
on Monday, September, 27, 2010

Justin

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How Do They Kill?

Cords KILL Every

2 weeks!

The following are some of the ways children have died from corded window blinds and shades.

The Inner Cord Without Stoppers

When blinds are all the way down the cord can become unlatch from its
locking position. This allows the pull cord to be pulled from the
slats causing a loop. This loop can form at any where along the inner
sides of the blinds where the pull cord runs through the blind slats.

But, What About the Stoppers Designed To Prevent This?

Child 'Safety' Stoppers Have Failed to Reduce the Number of Deaths by Inner Cord Strangulation!

The Inner Cord With Stoppers

When the locking mechanism is in place one of the inner cords running through the blind slats can still be pulled upward and a loop can still be created. Pulling on the inner cord causing the lower rail of the blinds to rise, thus creating a loop from the inner cord rasing up on one side and allowing the loop to form.

Very Important!
Don't think because you have new blinds you are in the clear.
The recall that was done in 2000 was only a VOLUNTARY one.
Blinds that were admittedly defective are STILL
being sold in stores all over the world.

Cords in a Single Tassel

Most blinds and shades that are sold today no longer have this type of pull cord. However this is when the two cords are pulled together at the ends forming one single large loop with a small tassel binding them together.

A Cord Joiner

In 1994 long looped cords were causing the most of the strangulation deaths in the previous years. The Window
Covering Manufacturing Association and Consumers Product Safety Commission answer to this problem was to cut the long cord loop into two long single cords with tassels to the ends. The Window Covering Manufacturing Association wanted to change multiple cords into a single tasseled cord. This was done by using a round ball. The Upper half has room for multiple cords. The lower half there is only a single hole for a single cord. Many of the new blinds and shades have cord joiners.

Note: This did not help. Deaths are still being caused by this new way of working the pull cords.

Free Fall

This is when the blind is in the raised position and the child becomes entangled in the cord or cords. The child can try to move around to free themselves and end up unlatching the locking mechanism causing the blinds to be able to fall down which will raise the cords pulling the child up off of any kind of footing they once had, causing the cord to tighten around the child's neck cutting off their airflow.

Twisted Cords

This happens with separated "safety" tassels. A child can hold onto the tassel with their fingers or even their mouth then begin to walk around or turn around in circles that might end up wrapping the cord around the child's neck. Once the child sits or falls their airflow is cut off. Yes it can be only one cord; both are not needed to do this!

Can You Even Believe They Sell These?

They Look Just Like Toys, What Child Would Not Want to Play With Them??

Knotted Cords

This is when any window blind or shade has more than one pull cord with any kind of tassel fixed to the bottom of the cords. They can very easily form into a knot or twist together, contrary to the belief, making one continuous loop like the old models. That is if you have not already tied them together to make them easier to pull up and down evenly.

Looped Pull Cord

This is one continuous loop working both the pull cords. The Window Covering Safety Council will send you a "repair" kit out if you call them. But would you take that risk? Before you say yes please reread Twisted and Knotted Cords Above.

Roll Up Shades

The inner cord on this type of blind can be pulled off of the roll at the bottom very easily giving a child one large loop.

And lets not forget there pull cords as well.

Roman & Cellular Shades

There are many different types of these kind of shades, no matter which one you choose if it has cords they are a danger to your child!

Magic Blinds

These Window Coverings are the "New Thing".

Don't be Tricked by them...

ALL Magic Blinds have Pull Cords!

Remember 'Safety Kits' Do not mean SAFE!

Don't let this horrifying tragedy happen to you...

I have been told that knowledge is power. If this is the case, I feel it is important to empower you with this knowledge you need in hopes that sharing this information will keep another child safe. I keep finding more and more parents that have lost their child the same way I have.

This has to stop, so I am looking to you to help!

Under pressure from the Consumer Product Safety Commission to act, the window covering industry engaged in two recalls/retrofit programs. The first began in 1994 and the second was implemented in 2000. Both have been ineffective in addressing and solving the inherent design defect.

It is a basic and well-known principle of engineering that if a hazard can be eliminated, it is incumbent upon the manufacturer to redesign the product to eliminate the hazard. It is only if the hazard cannot be eliminated that it is acceptable to warn in an attempt to reduce the hazard. With that said, the crib manufacturing industry began warning of the hazards associated with mini-blind cords near cribs in the early 1970s; however, it was not until the mid-1980s that the window covering industry began providing similar warnings. In fact, the window covering industry professed ignorance of the hazard when first confronted with the danger by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1985.

The reality is, window blind cords, and other dangling cords, are not safe. Other industries have recognized this fact long ago. The pull strings on toys were resulting in child strangulation. In response, the toy industry set regulations limiting the length of such pull cords. Drawstrings on children’s clothing and jackets were resulting in strangulation deaths, and the cords were eliminated. Other industries have recognized the danger of cords and have redesigned their products, yet the window covering industry has refused to modify its defective design and address the inherent dangers associated with cords dangling from the windows of nearly 17 million American households with children under the age of six-years-old.

The price of its neglect: a child dies every two weeks!

© 2005, Onder Law Firm (314) 421-6565

I am asking for your support in passing along the information about corded window treatments so parents can make a safe decision about purchasing these hazardous products for their homes. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. I feel this information is vital and should be given to everyone you know so that they do not have to go through the horror of finding their child hanging from the cords of blinds they thought were safe.

Thank you for your time and I hope you can see how important it is to get this message out!