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CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday recalled 21,000 inflatable Banzai in-ground pool water slides.
After investigating the death of a 29-year-old woman and severe injuries in two other consumers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled 21,000 inflatable Banzai in-ground pool water slides.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Toys R Us, Inc., have agreed to offer full refunds for the slides that are returned to them.
The CPSC determined that the slides were defective and could deflate suddenly, allowing the user to crash to the ground. The commission also found that the slide is unstable and can topple over in both still and windy conditions.
At the heart of the investigation was the death of Robin Aleo, a Colorado mom who had been visiting relatives in Andover, Mass. During a pool party on July 29, 2006, Aleo, the mother of an 18-month-old girl, climbed to the top of the 6-foot-high Banzai Falls slide and then started sliding down head first, according to a report in the Merrimack Valley Eagle-Tribune.
As Aleo neared the bottom, the slide deflated and she struck her head on the edge of the pool. Her neck was broken and she was paralyzed and unable to breathe, according to the Eagle-Tribune. She died the following day at a Boston hospital.
Aleo’s family sued Toys R Us and a jury returned a $20.6 million verdict after less than an hour of deliberation, the Eagle Tribune reported.
The CPSC also knew of two other cases: a 24-year-old man from Springfield, Mo., who became a quadriplegic and a woman from Allentown, Pa., who fractured her neck after slide deflations.
The recall is for Banzai in-ground pool water slides. The vinyl slides have a blue base, yellow sliding mat and an arch going over the top of the slide. By connecting a hose to the top of the slide, water can be sprayed on its downward slope. The words “Banzai Splash” are printed in a circular blue, orange and white logo that is shaped like a wave and appears on both sides of the slide.
The recalled slides, which were manufactured in China by Manley Toys, Ltd, were sold at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us from January 2005 through June 2009 and were priced around $250. They have a barcode number 2675315734 and a model number 15734. While those numbers both were on the original package, they do not appear on the slides themselves.
While the CPSC began its investigation based on the three incidents, it’s not uncommon for more people to come forward with reports after a recall is announced, said Alex Filip, a spokesman for the CPSC.
“People sometimes attribute failures to poor maintenance or something they did wrong and if they’re not hurt, they may not report it," Filip said.
The CPSC urges consumers to immediately stop using the product and bring it to the nearest Toys R Us or Wal-Mart for a refund. Consumers don’t need to bring the entire pool. They can just cut out the two safety warning notices out of the slide and return those for a refund.
Filip warned people not to be lulled into a false sense of security because their slide hasn’t given them any problems yet.
“You could play on it all day Saturday and then the kids go out on Sunday and get hurt,” he said. “It’s dangerous. You need to do what’s best for your family. Just bring it back and you’ll get your money back.”
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Why is "the mother of an 18-month-old girl" included in stories like this? It has nothing to do with the story.
Why didn't they include other trivia, like whether she was a blond or a brunette, married, divorced, widowed, or single? Did she enjoy horseback riding?
The story is simply informing you that due to this slide causing her death, has left behind a baby without a mother. Come on, a little sympathy please!
So, less sympathy if no child? more sympathy if 3 children???
It does not belong in the story.
Yes, growing up without a mother is horrible, tragic and happens far to often. It absolutely should have been included. This article pointed out that the slide in question not only put an end to a young life it will have long term reprecutions ( often financial) on another human being. Any mammal that grows up without its mother does suffer ( some more than others) . I am sorry you have issues either with your mother or having children.
Forget the description of the woman (which was simply just that, a description and a way to humanize her; way to nitpick), what I want to know is: why is the recall only taking place now, after this happened in 2006?!
COmommy, I am wondering if they are just now getting around to recalling them or if this is a really old article and just serving as a reminder to take it back if you have one. If it is a recent article, that is extremely surprising that a recall happened 6 years after the fact.
it seems to me, if you are using a slide like this - you should already, instinctively, understand there's an inherent risk involved. ANYTHING inflatable runs the risk of deflating, it's simple logic.
I am not meaning my comment to be insulting or hurtful, rather...im a little tired of everyone refusing to use the head on their shoulders, evalute REAL LOGICAL RISK and make good informed decisions.
im sure most of us dont do a lot of things that seem fun, but also seem really risky...because it's just not worth it to us?
put a label on this product warning of the risk of injury or death...simple as that.
Does anyone actually look at this thing and think that it was intended for use by adults?
A 29 year old woman, 24 year old man, and another woman were injured... no children.
That being said it is INFLATABLE and you are supposed to sit it on the edge of an IN-GROUND pool (concrete), letting children use one of these peices of junk is careless, getting on one as an adult is just stupid.
Why not cram yourself into a child car seat and then sue when it doesn't save you in a crash? Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean it's someone elses fault when you do.
This argument is ridiculous. If the slides are prone to suddenly deflate and a young child is sliding with momentum they can just as easily break their neck. Because apparently it has not happened is a stroke of good luck and making it anything more is guesswork.
The article made me wonder why there were only 3 reported incidents and ALL of them involved ADULTS. This looks a lot more like a child's play slide then something for adults.
Shot,
You need your head checked dude. Where's that finger been?
I thought so.
Anyone else notice that Bonsai inflatable water products referred to kids... From a minimum age and up? Maybe I missed something. But I never saw the word adult in the ads for waterslides. Then again… There are adults who behave like kids when it comes to safety and common sense. I guess the company didn't take enough precaution to warn against adults using their products.
Made in China… If that doesn't make you suspicious about quality… Then you will never get the message.
Because they want to "tug at your heart strings" and make you hate the big, bad corporation.
A little research is in order. I'm guessing the lawyers who presented information at the trial did theirs and the jury decided accordingly. The most I can find is that this slide was not subjected to tests required for pool slides, it did not pass safety requirements for in ground pool slides because they need to withstand a load of 350 pounds without deflecting and the manufacturer's recommended weight for this slide is 200 pounds. The manufacturer and distributors principal defense was that safety requirements for pool slides did not apply to inflatable slides. The jury disagreed.
I was horrified to read this article. We had this same slide for several years before a side seam gave way. My kids and their many friends LOVED the slide. Having it repaired would have cost more than the original price of the slide. I went on a huge hunt scouring stores and websites looking for a new slide. Thankfully, no one was ever injured.
By now there are what? Three left?
The problem here is that the manufacturer said it was for kids ages XX and up, but never thought they needed to say that it was not meant for adults. Looking at the design of this thing with the low arch over the top of the slide, it seems pretty clear that this was intended for kids. It was obviously not designed to take the weight of full grown adults and as a result apparently failed after being repeatedly subjected to use by full grown adults. I feel sorry for those who were injured and for the family of the woman who died, but some adults just do not use common sense. I know that adults like to have fun as much as kids do, but adults using kid's toys is bound to cause problems.
I do not understand why a jury ruled against Toys-R-Us in a lawsuits. Nowhere in the article does it say that they manufactured the slides or sold them under the Toy-R-Us brand name. The suit should have been against the manufacturer, not the store that sold it. If stores are going to be held responsible for the safety of every product they sell then we are going to see a lot of stores going out of business. It sounds like just another case of a jury feeling sorry for the injured party and giving them money from the "evil corporation" whether they had any liability or not. Too many times juries award damages based on sentiment rather than the law or actual liability.
With most inflated toys like this one there is a way to secure the air valve, I wounder if it was done properly it all 3 cases, if not that could be the cause, also the weight and size of an adult could cause the valve to come louse over time how long was it in use. More questions than answers here. 83 year old lady gets millions for dumping hot coffee in her own lap while driving her own car???
Even if the valve popped open it would take several minutes to deflate that way of not longer. For it to go down that fast it had to be a seam that let go.
Who else noticed in the story that this lady "slid head-first"? HELLO!!!! Anyone with half a brain should know not to slide head-first. There were likely warning labels plastered all over the slide itself. She apparently wasn't the brightest apple in the bunch, now was she?
"
pjam09
Does anyone actually look at this thing and think that it was intended for use by adults?"
I also bet there is a DO NOT slide head first sticker on it someplace.
I agree w pjam09....if we consider what the avg american looks like, they were probably overweight too. not trying to be mean.... just realistic. this thing was clearly not for grown @$$ adults.
I've owned one of these slides for years. They are for kids, period! I'm sorry for the tragedy, but I once tried to go on the slide, and immediately felt and knew that I was over the weight limit which I think was listed as 100 lbs. I don't even let my kids go down head first (which by the way was forbidden in the written instructions!). Darwin loses to stupid humans I guess in this one.
I am sorry for the family's loss, but one of the first slide rules I taught my children was don't go down head first. Head and neck injuries can happen on any slide if somone goes down head first.
Exactly what I was going to say! I am going to take a chance and say the others had done the same thing. Was alcohol involved in either case? I also wonder how it deflated that fast without any warning. Sounds kind of weird to me.
I was wondering how it could deflate so fast (and that she could have had so much momentum in the first place) that a neck injury so severe could have occured.
my gut says alcohol was involved, but the jury (of this dead womans peers) thought to themself "if this were my family, would I want to cash out to the tune of 20.6 million? HELL YEAH!"
Head first, and she probably lept forward to get more momentum!
I had a similar incident on one of these slides. As you near the bottom the thickness if the slide narrows and too much air is pushed elsewhere allowing the person to hit the pool side. I was very lucky I only got a bruised bottom. Small children do not seem to displace enough air that it is a problem, but older kids and adults certainly do. I am sure the woman was not doing anything crazy or drinking. Sad.
Yet another tragic episode caused by CHINESE CRAP. Just stop importing CHINESE CRAP for a while and start making stuff in the USA! By the way, a Chinese made reusable shopping bag was found to have novovirus living inside the fabric. No telling where that came from -- but I bet it was there all along!
I'm sure it was CHEAP though.
based on what evidence? I'm not a fan of poor quality products that are imported from foreign countries, but you're make a claim with absolutely nothing to support it. There's nothing to suggest that cheap, poor quality junk would be any safer if made in the "good ol' US of A".
And the logical source of the virus in the grocery bag is that food spilled and the bag was never cleaned.
cdpeters01 - I'm guessing his evidence is this article, the lead paint on toys, and the poisonous dog food stories that have all come out in the last year or so. In my opinion, it's a decent amount of evidence to support the notion that Chinese products are made without regard to consumer safety.
Is Hu Jintao your cousin or something?
cdpeters01 - China is slowly killing its own people with rampant pollution, unsafe food products, toys with lead paint, etc. If the Chinese government doesn't care about the health and safety of its own citizens, what make you think that it cares about people in other countries?
Re-read that article about the norovirus. A child with the virus vomited in the same room as the bag, other children ate cookies from a package that was in the bag, and the other kids got sick. Yes, 2 weeks later the bag still had live norovirus on it. Likely the packaging from the cookies did as weel, but since it had been thrown in the trash, there was no way to check.
Not everything made in China is trash, and not everything made in the USA is perfect. Research your purchases, read the instructions and warnings, and don't do stupid stuff.
Dang .. these chinese made iPads and iPhones are horribly bad and worthless
20.6 million and I'll bet somewhere in all the rules and instructions, it probably said do not go down Head First. Give me a break, I am sorry she is dead, but come on people. Be responsible for your own stupidity.
Ann, in our society, stupid can get you and/or your family rich. Look at the Kardashians.
Anne,
Exactly my thoughts.
Skiddy, LMAO. Funny man. Ha ha!
+1 for the "how the heck did this happen?" vote. There was some improper use of this thing, by the people in question. Speaking as an engineer, either this thing was not installed properly or the injured parties were pulling shenanigans on this slide. And I'm guessing there had to be booze involved in more than one of them.
WalkWithMeInHell -
http://cfr.regstoday.com/16cfr1207.aspx
Standard for Pool Slides, does not exempt inflatable slides from these requirements. The slide in question was marketed and sold as a pool slide. I can't see where it meets any of the requirements. The consumer is not expected to be an knowledgeable of the standard but the manufacturer and distributor are and they are expected to comply. I don't know why there haven't been criminal negligence charges filed against every company in this country that is selling these slides.
Maybe God was doing a recall on the victim. How do you break your neck going down a 6 ft inflatable slide when you are probably +5 ft tall yourself. Laying down belly first on it would have your head only (C=(A^2+6^2)^1/2-Your Height)*sin(theta). Alcohol or lack of common sense had to be involved. My heart still goes out the the victim and her child, family, and friends.
Not to mention, since this is a child's toy, she was probably breaking height and weight requirements. It's a terrible situation but... as everyone else has said, lack of common sense.
It looks to me like the slide is only meant for kids, I certainly would not want to be sliding down it.
I'm sure the slide had a size and weight limit. I guess that any full grown adult is probably over those limits.
Yes, there are not too many adults who are my height and weight...4'9, and the only time I crack over 90 pounds is when I am wearing jeans, shoes, and a heavy wool sweater with my winter wool jacket...
...oh, and I am 21. For some reason, that is not completely clear yet (the doctors are working on it, I have an appointment with a geneticist at some point...), I just didn't grow very tall...or big...
well when you try to slide a beached whale down it no wonder,be careful out there ...
If we stop importing Chinese crap Walmart won't have anything to sell the sheeple.....
You are absolutly right. As a former Walmart employee, I can tell you almost everything they sell (except for grocery items, books & magazines, and a few other departments) comes from China. Especially toys.
I am not defending Chinese products in any way so don't judge to quickly. I buy American. Many products made in China are made from the American company's initial specs. In other words, an American company comes up with the idea, sends China the specs and they make it to those specs. It is up to the contractor to make sure the product is safe before selling it. I remember years ago a bridge fell down due to the inferior bolts holding it together. The bolts were made in Japan. When the city tried to sue the Japanese bolt manufacturer, it was found that they made the bolts exactly as they were called out in the American Construction Company's specifications (size,strength, material, etc ). End of story. Want to be cheap and greedy? Pay the piper!
Why was an adult using something that was designed for small children in the first place? What has happened to common sense in this country? We have a whole generation of brain dead people raising children who are even more brain dead than their parents. Of course it doesn't help that most of the products made aren't meant to last more than 90 days. And, if they are meant to last longer they want you to buy an extended warranty that should have be included with the product to begin with. Then of course when brain dead people get hurt they go looking for someone else to pay for their own stupidity the cost of which is passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices. They'll tack a dollar or two on to every toy sold and recover their loss in no time, or they go bankrupt and still avoid paying out $20M.
There's a triumvirate of giant evil corporations right there.
TIL dying/getting paralyzed was that easy. quite scary really when you think about all the everyday things around you that could fail and would kill you. No money in the world is enough to replace the life of a loved one.. my condolences to all families involved.
Thank you China for another quality product. You have to wonder, do they make such hazardous products (flimsy junk, lead paint-laden toys, etc.) because it is more cost effective seeing how their populace is so large? Think about it. Over a billion people, how many can we get away with hurting compared to the economic viability of selling the defective products. Simple math over human life. Got to love it.
Here's a thought; don't buy it... and if you do don't try to pretend you are a small child and use it yourself.
Have you looked up the age/weight restrictions of this product? I haven't, so I don't know. If she was 200 lbs. and tried to use this rubber bouncy thing, you have a valid point. If she weighed a 100 lbs. soaking wet and was only 5' 2", not so much.
When I hear stories like this (recalls & defective items) it screamsMONEYMONEYMONEY. To me, they probably didn't do any type of 'real' quality testing to see how this inflatable item would hold up under various uses. They (meaning the manufacturer's) were thinking of selling a product that could make them some MONEYMONEYMONEY, and to hell with safety issues-what safety issues? there aren't any safety issues. MONEYMONEYMONEY.
Of course, no amount of money can revive the dead, but it can look after the needs of those left behind. It will help those who have been injured, as they will need a lifetime of care. Sadly, their lives more than likely be cut short due to their injuries.
More crap from China. Isn't it time to stop the maiming and poisoning of Americans by unscrupulous Chinese business'.
So, umm, why was she allowed to sue Toys R Us and not forced to sue the manufacturer? I'm starting to really hate out litigious legal system.
I'm guessing because ToysRUs distributed it and the company that manufactured it is based in China? Might be easier to have ToysRUs go and sue the manufacturer on its own...
What do expect? With all this importing from China glut. Really there is such a rush to get a buck, that these resellers donot test the products that they are peddleing! If one is defective O-Well we'll just sell more. Products made in the USA are tested the manufacters here don't want to be sued are go out of business from a wrongful death suit. When was the last time a Chinnese company was sued ? I'll give you a hint .... Never.
I'm sorry she died ... and the family is now without a mother. But $20 million judgements are ridiculous. She used bad judgement and the company pays for her stupidity? Actually, we pay for her because either the company raises prices to pay for the judgement or they go out of business and we pay the unemployment for the factory workers that were here in the US (yes, I know it was made in China - it was distributed here by US vendors). We are lawsuit happy and the only thing paid should be medical fees. Loss of income? Highly doubtful unless we start paying mothers nowadays. And dumb ones like this one ...
you're an idiot.
rug...how do you know she wasn't a working mother? i can't even begin to argue with you because i just don't know where to start with that stupid comment .with that all i say is that i hope you don't breed. i think you're the dumb one and there are enough of those walking around on this planet already.
cn82, you are suspended for a day for violating rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
LET'S KEEP OUTSOURCING MANUFACTURING TO CHINA. OBVIOUSLY THEY MAKE QUALITY PRODUCTS AND REALLY CARE ABOUT THE AMERICANS THAT WILL BE USING THEIR CRAP.
Bring the jobs back and keep us safe, two birds...one stone. Yes, you might have to pay someone more than $2/hr but in the long run you won't have to pay out $20,600,000 in ONE lawsuit.
it's called bean counters dude. remember the ford pinto? ford knew it was unsafe and yet still produced that design of the filler neck in the trunk, cheaper to pay out lawsuit money than retool and redesign.i agree with you , but it'll never happen as long as there are greedy politicians , lobbyists, business owners,lawyers, corporations etc. you get the idea.
Is this a slide built for kids or for grown ups? It looks like something you would have children use, not 29 year old women. I wonder if the instruction manual warns not to slide down head first as well. I mean if Preparation H warns you not to take orally I'll bet there is a warning on this thing about how not to use it too.
And what did the two safety warning notices say about using the slide?
People, get your heads out of the sand. This has nothing to do with cheap merchandise. This is strictly adult stupidity and nothing else. When you put a 150 to 160 pound adult on a toy designed to support kids weighing half that, of course its going to deflate. Thats why they put age restrictions on the box. If someone is stupid enough to ignore that they don't deserve to be rewarded for that stupidity. W hile my heart goes out to the famlies of the victims, I'm sorry but Idon't feel the same for the victims. They asked for it.
where does it say what the deceased weighed at time of the incident.was this only a kids toy?what were the age and weight descriptions on the box?please let me know i'm curious where you got your facts?
Common sense takes another hit. Once the mfrs had to put warming labels on steam irons -- "Do not iron clothes while on body." -- the avalanche began. An inflatable vinyl water slide meant for kids. Yep, common sense says "Hmm, too flimsy, just for little kids!" Complete mindlessness says: "Oh boy, that looks like fun, I only weigh 173 lbs!" The big question: did any of the injured holler "HEY, YA'LL WATCH THIS!!!" prior to the accident?
Maybe they hollered... "Here, hold my drink" I'll be right back...
If these things are prone to deflate without warning, even a little kid could get seriously hurt on these, if not killed. They clearly aren't safe.
ah, another fine product to come out of China.......
A $20.6 million settlement for this incident? Incredible! This country's gone to hell because people fail to exercise good judgment and take responsibility. It's always someone else's fault.
Sliding down headfirst is… just stupid for any adult. Kids do it and we warn against that.
I'm wondering if the product really was defective or used in a manner against manufacturers recommendations.
3 ppl injured in 4 years. And the lady's family sues Toys r Us? Why not sue the comany that made the slide, instead of the reseller?
Three people injured in four years...why sue anyone at all? Why can't stuff just break anymore? Why do we need a recall whenever a product simply breaks, whether from misuse or just plain age? People need to get a little common sense!
villian157, just guessing here, but maybe because it's practically impossible for an American family to file a lawsuit in China?
Anybody else think it's a bad idea to use this with an in-ground pool regardless of this recall? I look at that and I see a broken arm at least lol
My question is why are the toys being recalled when it was the adults fault for using their childrens toys? If you ask my bonzai isn't to blame here. The judgement of the adults is what is at fault.
@thewhitejudge did you see how tall the slide is? It is 6 feet which is more than big enough for a normal size adult that weighs less than about 200 lbs. It is not just for children matter of fact this one is not for children under 5.
I looked up the reccomended age for the product lacey. Ages 5 - 10
Judge - I looked it up and the only thing I saw agrees with Laceylou, but more importantly, see my comment @4.4
I'm still not seeing where it says anyone over 18 can use them. All I'm finding from Banzai products are 5 month to 2 years 2-8 and 5-15. That's all.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-Banzai-water-slide-Plunge-pool-/140721602050?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c3a93e02#ht_523wt_906
The picture shown on the MSNBC article isn't the slide. You need to go to the product recall section of CPSC to find a picture of the right one. You can't find specifications for the one from the lawsuit on line anywhere. This is as close as I could get to appearance but it isn't for an in-gound pool. Weight limit 200#, ages 5 and up
Judge -
Right side of the page. No spec's included.
http://swimming-pool-slide.com/Six_Flags_Banzai_Falls_In-ground_Pool_Slide.htm
So is that supposed to fix my opinion and suddenly make me blame Banzai for the parents dumbass idea? So is every toy company that has had some idiot mess around with their product and hurt or kill themselfs with it at fault? No the one at fault was your dumbass deciding that you were going to do something stupid.
Nope you pointed out you couldn't find information, I provided some. You're entitled to any ignorant opinion you want.