Two South St. Louis parents are living every parent’s nightmare. As Fox2Now reported earlier this month, they found their 2-year-old son dead in his bedroom, strangled by the pull cord on the window blinds. The boy’s father performed CPR until EMS crews arrived, but it was too late and the boy was pronounced dead at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The parents were not charged in what police termed “a tragic accident.”

More than 546 children nationwide have died after becoming entangled in the cords from window blinds and roman shades. What seems like a toy can turn deadly if a child slips his head between the cords. As recently as last September, the Consumer Product Safety Council ordered the recall of nearly half a million blinds made by Blind Xpress of Michigan after a 2-year-old girl strangled in the adjustment cord.

Most deaths attributed to window blinds occur when children put their heads inside the pull loop, turning it into a noose. But children have also died when their heads became trapped between the inner cords and slats. Free repair kits designed to prevent strangulation are available from the Window Covering Safety Council.

We do not expect things we buy to decorate our homes to become lethal objects. Nothing can replace a child but holding companies accountable for product safety may prevent other children from dying. For information about our strategy in product liability cases, schedule a free appointment with one of our St. Louis personal injury attorneys.