It is likely that most residents of the Pittsburgh area believe that whatever product they are purchasing is safe to use so long as it is used in the manner it was intended. It is under that assumption that people probably purchased a specific baby bicycle seat. The seat, which was available for purchase at various retailers, such as REI, reportedly nearly amputated the fingers of two children.

The injuries the dangerous product inflicted on the children prompted a voluntary recall of the baby bicycle seats known as Topeak Babyseat II, which was reported by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The baby bike seats were sold between January 2009 and April 2012 throughout the United States. Model numbers included in the recall are: TCS2100, TCS2101 and TCS2102. In total, 40,000 of the bike seats have been recalled.

According to the product safety director at the Consumer Federation of America, severed fingers and amputations are actually a fairly common injury sustained by children while using products designed specifically for that age group. Previous recalls issued because of the injury include strollers, infant and toddler tabletops and clip-on chairs.

People who own this child bike seat can request a hinge cover retrofit that is being offered by the seat's distributor, Todson of Massachusetts, free of charge. Until it is installed, the seat should not be used.

As we discussed in a previous post, child products rank high on the list of items recalled each year. The news of this recall adds support to that finding.

Source: The Washington Post, "Baby bicycle seats get recalled after 2 children suffer injuries to their fingers," Dina ElBoghdady, April 6, 2012