A 3 year-old male was found unresponsive entrapped in window blinds about 12:00 a.m., November 26, 2022 in the block of 1500 Seven Pines Road in Schaumburg. The 3 year-old male died on November 30, 2022. The manner of death was ruled an accidental death by asphyxiation from entrapment in window blinds, according to the Cook County Medical Examiners Office.
According to a study published in Pediatrics in 2018, there were an estimated 16,827 window blind-related injuries among children younger than 6 years-old who were treated in emergency departments in the United States from 1990 to 2015. The statistics correspond to an injury rate of 2.7 per 100,000 children.
Entanglement injuries accounted for 11.9% of all cases, and among the entanglement injuries, 98.9% involved blind cords, and 80.7% involved injuries to the neck. Using the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s IDI (In-Depth Investigation) database, researchers discovered that two-thirds of entanglement incidents involving blinds resulted in death (67.1%).
Data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) and In-Depth Investigation (IDI) databases were analyzed.
Keep in mind that blind and blind cords include installation near sliding glass doors, which also create a risk of injury or death.
The study recommended a mandatory safety standard that eliminates eliminates window blind cords that can be accessible by children.
SOURCE: Onders B, Kim EH, Chounthirath T, Hodges NL, Smith GA. Pediatric Injuries Related to Window Blinds, Shades, and Cords. Pediatrics. 2018 Jan;141(1):e20172359. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-2359. Epub 2017 Dec 11. PMID: 29229682.
Get updates from The Cardinal ALL NEWS FEEDS on Facebook. Just ‘LIKE’ the ‘Arlington Cardinal Page (become a fan of our page). The updates cover all posts and sub-category posts from The Cardinal — Arlingtoncardinal.com. You can also limit feeds to specific categories. See all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages at Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
Help fund The Cardinal Arlingtoncardinal.com/sponsor
The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) National Injury Information Clearinghouse provides injury data from electronic data sources and distributes publications including hazard analysis, special studies, and data summaries. The Clearinghouse also disseminates statistics and information relating to the prevention of death and injury associated with consumer products. Each year the Clearinghouse responds to 4,000 requests for information from the American public. Information specialists search agency databases to tailor responses to each customer’s needs.
In 1996, CPSC introduced the Consumer Product Safety Review. Included are national injury data from NEISS hospitals; studies of emerging and continuing hazards; technical articles on injury/death topics; and important recall and correction action activities and the MECAP News.
The Medical Examiners and Coroners Alert Project (MECAP) is a quick-alert system designed to collect timely information on deaths involving consumer products. MECAP reviews and screens each fatality report. Some reports are assigned for special investigation.