Ace Bayou and the CPSC have recalled 2.2 million bean bag chairs after the suffocation deaths of two children. Bean bag chairs are fun favorites among families with children. They’re comfortable, casual and kid-sized. But some have proven dangerous, safety officials and product liability attorneys say. After recent reports of two child deaths, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and New Orleans-based Ace Bayou Corp. have issued a recall of nearly 2.2 million bean bag chairs.
Company and federal safety officials warn that the zippers on the round and L-shaped bean bag chairs can easily be opened, allowing small children to crawl inside the bags and become trapped. Unable to escape, victims risk choking or suffocation on the chair’s foam beads. That heartbreaking scenario is exactly what took the lives of a 13-year-old McKinney, TX boy and a 3-year-old Lexington, KY girl. Both were found dead inside Ace Bayou-made bean bags after inhaling and suffocating on the foam beads that fill and shape the bags. Round-shaped recalled bean bag chairs were sold in three sizes – 30, 32 and 40 inches in diameter.
L-shaped units affected measured 18 inches wide by 30 inches deep by 30 inches high. Both were sold in vinyl or fabric materials in a variety of colors including purple, violet, blue, red, pink, yellow, Kelly green, black, port, navy, lime, royal blue, turquoise, tangerine and multi-color. Customers nationwide bought recalled chairs at major retailers like Walmart and via online retailers such as Wayfair.com, Amazon.com and Meijer.com. All were manufactured before July 2013 and sold for between $30 and $100. Owners of the recalled bean bag chairs can order a free repair kit by contacting Ace Bayou at 855-751-8151 or Acebayou.com. In the meantime, personal injury and product liability attorneys with Harrell and Harrell urge you to keep bean bags away from children until the faulty zippers can be replaced.