LMS
04-07-2006, 10:51 PM
THE NEWS ARTICLE
SEATTLE - A major toy recall was announced Thursday night, prompted in part because of a KOMO 4 News investigation.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling 3.8 million of the Magnetix toy kits. The toys are sets of plastic building pieces and rods which can be linked together using magnets.
But the magnets can fall out. Last November, 18-month-old Kenny Sweet died after swallowing magnets from a Magnetix set that had been given to his 10-year-old brother. The magnets were so powerful, they squeezed and twisted parts of his intestines together.
"I miss my baby everyday," said Penny Sweet on Thursday night after learning of the recall. "They have done something unforgivable."
Penny wishes the company recalled the toys voluntarily. "That toy should've been recalled the minute the injuries occurred and they were informed," she said. "It should've been recalled immediately."
The toys are recommended for children age 6 and older, and carry a choking warning for children under 3, but don't warn about what can happen if more than one magnet is swallowed, lawyers for the families said. Kenny's parents sued in King County Superior Court.
Two other families whose children were injured after swallowing the tiny magnets have also sued RoseArt, the New Jersey company that makes the toys.
Joe and Mechelle Booke, of Oak Harbor, said their 4-year-old son, Kyle, had to have a section of his intestine removed this month and spent two weeks at Children's Hospital in Seattle.
Mechelle said after four days of flu-like symptoms and vomiting, she rushed Kyle to Children's Hospital in Seattle. Five minutes later, he was in the operating room.
"He nearly died, I don't even want to think about that, I don't want to think about it," said Mechelle through a stream of tears.
Doctors found Kyle's intestines twisted, with two tiny magnets connecting separate sections. The magnets were so powerful they eroded through his intestinal wall. Kyle's intestine was dying.
Mechelle made the connection. "I knew exactly what it was," she said.
The magnets were from a Magnetix building set his grandmother gave him for Christmas. Magnets in the popular toy connect plastic building pieces. Kyle's set is for kids, three and older. He's four.
Angela and Julius McNeil, of Tacoma, said their 3½-year-old son, Marcell, began complaining of flu-like symptoms last May.
Over the next two days, his stomach ache became more severe, and he vomited violently. Doctors at Madigan Army Medical Center performed an emergency surgery to remove three magnets that had bonded across the walls of his intestine.
"One child harmed by this toy is a tragedy, but three in the past year, all in this one area, is unimaginable," Angela McNeil said in a news release. "It's important that parents understand the real dangers of having a Magnetix set in their household."
After KOMO reported the deaths and injuries, the Consumer Product Safety Commission began taking a look, and then announced the recall late Thursday night.
The commission said it has received reports of 34 incidents involving the small magnets included in the Magnetix magnetic building sets, including the X-treme Combo, Micro and Extreme versions.
The toys were sold from September 2003 through March 2006 at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, Fred Meyer, Design Science Toys Ltd., A.C. Moore and other stores nationwide. They cost between $20 and $60.
The sets are made by Rose Art Industries in New Jersey.
"We were deeply saddened to learn of reports of children being harmed by ingesting small parts," Vic Bertrand, chief operating officer for Rose Art's parent company, said in a statement Thursday. "As the father of four children and as a member of the family that helped build this business, I am personally committed to safe and creative play experiences for children who use our products. Magnetix products will remain on store shelves and we will continue to market the toys to families with appropriately aged children." Rose Art will continue to work with the commission to ensure that its products are used safely, the statement said.
http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=42692
SEATTLE - A major toy recall was announced Thursday night, prompted in part because of a KOMO 4 News investigation.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling 3.8 million of the Magnetix toy kits. The toys are sets of plastic building pieces and rods which can be linked together using magnets.
But the magnets can fall out. Last November, 18-month-old Kenny Sweet died after swallowing magnets from a Magnetix set that had been given to his 10-year-old brother. The magnets were so powerful, they squeezed and twisted parts of his intestines together.
"I miss my baby everyday," said Penny Sweet on Thursday night after learning of the recall. "They have done something unforgivable."
Penny wishes the company recalled the toys voluntarily. "That toy should've been recalled the minute the injuries occurred and they were informed," she said. "It should've been recalled immediately."
The toys are recommended for children age 6 and older, and carry a choking warning for children under 3, but don't warn about what can happen if more than one magnet is swallowed, lawyers for the families said. Kenny's parents sued in King County Superior Court.
Two other families whose children were injured after swallowing the tiny magnets have also sued RoseArt, the New Jersey company that makes the toys.
Joe and Mechelle Booke, of Oak Harbor, said their 4-year-old son, Kyle, had to have a section of his intestine removed this month and spent two weeks at Children's Hospital in Seattle.
Mechelle said after four days of flu-like symptoms and vomiting, she rushed Kyle to Children's Hospital in Seattle. Five minutes later, he was in the operating room.
"He nearly died, I don't even want to think about that, I don't want to think about it," said Mechelle through a stream of tears.
Doctors found Kyle's intestines twisted, with two tiny magnets connecting separate sections. The magnets were so powerful they eroded through his intestinal wall. Kyle's intestine was dying.
Mechelle made the connection. "I knew exactly what it was," she said.
The magnets were from a Magnetix building set his grandmother gave him for Christmas. Magnets in the popular toy connect plastic building pieces. Kyle's set is for kids, three and older. He's four.
Angela and Julius McNeil, of Tacoma, said their 3½-year-old son, Marcell, began complaining of flu-like symptoms last May.
Over the next two days, his stomach ache became more severe, and he vomited violently. Doctors at Madigan Army Medical Center performed an emergency surgery to remove three magnets that had bonded across the walls of his intestine.
"One child harmed by this toy is a tragedy, but three in the past year, all in this one area, is unimaginable," Angela McNeil said in a news release. "It's important that parents understand the real dangers of having a Magnetix set in their household."
After KOMO reported the deaths and injuries, the Consumer Product Safety Commission began taking a look, and then announced the recall late Thursday night.
The commission said it has received reports of 34 incidents involving the small magnets included in the Magnetix magnetic building sets, including the X-treme Combo, Micro and Extreme versions.
The toys were sold from September 2003 through March 2006 at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, Fred Meyer, Design Science Toys Ltd., A.C. Moore and other stores nationwide. They cost between $20 and $60.
The sets are made by Rose Art Industries in New Jersey.
"We were deeply saddened to learn of reports of children being harmed by ingesting small parts," Vic Bertrand, chief operating officer for Rose Art's parent company, said in a statement Thursday. "As the father of four children and as a member of the family that helped build this business, I am personally committed to safe and creative play experiences for children who use our products. Magnetix products will remain on store shelves and we will continue to market the toys to families with appropriately aged children." Rose Art will continue to work with the commission to ensure that its products are used safely, the statement said.
http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=42692