Your antique Lane or Virginia Made chest may be part of a nationwide recall over a dangerous automatic locking mechanism. That antique cedar chest that’s been in your family for generations may be dangerous, say officials with Tupelo, MS-based Lane Furniture and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. They’ve recently announced a renewed recall on cedar chests made under the Lane and Virginia Made bands manufactured between 1912 and 1987, and product liability attorneys warn parents to take heed. Lane Furniture issued an initial recall of 12 million cedar chests back in 1996, prompted by reports of six children getting trapped and suffocating in the chests.
The most recent recall comes on the heels of another suffocation death and two near fatalities to children who became trapped when the chest lid closed and automatically latched shut. Locks installed on chests made before 1988 featured a push-button mechanism used to lift the chest lid. The mechanism then instantly clicked back into place to lock the chest when the lid was lowered, with no way to unlock and open the chest from the inside. Plus, these cedar-lined chests were built with a tight seal to help keep out moths and protect cloth items stored inside.
Unfortunately, it’s believed that the chests’ size and shape make them desirable hiding spots for children playing games like hide-and-seek. Plus, many parents consider the chests ideal as toy boxes and storage spaces for clothes, blankets and other children’s items. Thus, children often have access to the chests, but parents may be unaware of the automatic locks and subsequent entrapment and suffocation danger. Lane Furniture officials estimate that some 6 million chests sold nationwide feature these old style automatic locks, which were replaced with new safety locks on all chests made after 1987. The new locks feature a latching mechanism that remains disengaged unless a button is pressed or a key is used from outside the chest. Until then, the lid will remain open about a half-inch, ensuring that accidental entrapment won’t happen to another child.
If you own or use a chest affected in the recall and no entrapment, suffocation or other injuries have occurred as a result, Lane Furniture will send you a new safety lock free of charge, along with easy replacement directions. Call the company toll-free at 800-327-6944 or order a replacement lock online. However, if your child has suffered an injury, an experienced product liability attorney may be able to help secure you fair compensation for injuries and losses. Contact Jacksonville’s Harrell and Harrell, serving clients throughout Northeast and Central Florida as well as South Georgia, at 800-251-1111.