Toys that make noise and move can bring endless joy to a child. Unfortunately, the batteries that power many children’s toys and products can catch on fire, causing potentially devastating physical injuries or death in the process.
Toys powered by small alkaline batteries are less likely to catch fire than those powered by lithium-ion batteries. Since lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable, more energy-dense, and have longer lifespans than AA, AAA, and 9-volt batteries, they’ve become an increasingly popular choice for toy manufacturers.
It’s common to see lithium-ion batteries used in all types of children’s toys and products, including:
- Ride-on vehicles
- Remote-controlled cars
- Electric bikes
- Electric scooters
- Drones
- Hoverboards
- Baby monitors
- Walkie talkies
- Baby swings
The more power a product requires to operate, the more likely it is to contain a lithium-ion battery.
Why Are Lithium-Ion Batteries Dangerous in Children’s Products?
Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable power cells. Unfortunately, lithium-ion batteries have been known to explode or catch on fire - including when they’re installed in children’s products.
There are two main reasons why lithium-ion batteries catch on fire: a phenomenon known as thermal runaway, and because of product defects.
Thermal Runaway
Thermal runaway occurs when a lithium-ion battery shifts into an uninterrupted power cycle. As the current runs through the battery, the internal temperature rises without control. At some point, the temperature gets so hot that the battery explodes or causes the product in which it’s installed to catch on fire.
Thermal runaway can potentially happen in any lithium-ion battery, regardless of use or age. However, it’s a phenomenon most often seen in batteries that are heavily used and that have been recharged multiple times. The more a battery is charged and the longer it sits on a charger, the more likely it is to overheat and potentially catch fire. Products that are misused or damaged can also be more likely to experience thermal runaway-related fires.
Product Defects
Some lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to catching on fire because they’re defective. Defects refer to problems with the way a battery is designed, manufactured, or marketed to consumers.
For instance, a lithium-ion battery might be defective if a toy manufacturer:
- Decides to use substandard materials that are flammable or more likely to catch on fire than other, safer materials, and/or
- Knows that a lithium-ion battery has a relatively high risk of catching on fire when used in certain ways and fails to disclose that information to consumers.
Toy companies and companies that sell products for children are profit-driven entities. At the end of the day, a company will search for any way to increase revenue, even if that might increase the threat to a consumer’s health, safety, and well-being.
Who’s Liable For Battery Fires in Children’s Products?
Many battery fires in children’s toys and products can be avoided, but happen because toy companies choose cheap materials or fail to test their products thoroughly before putting them on the market.
When a defective lithium-ion battery causes a battery fire or if a company knows that its batteries are susceptible to thermal runaway events, the company might be liable for damages.
Product liability laws allow injured consumers and grieving families to take legal action against companies that design, manufacture, and/or sell dangerous products. Specifically, companies can be strictly liable for harm caused by a product’s defect or unreasonably dangerous nature.
So, if your child was injured because their toy caught on fire, you won’t have to prove that the company that sold or manufactured it was negligent. Instead, you simply have to show that the battery or the product itself was defective in some way.
What Damages Can Be Awarded to Victims of Battery Fires in Children’s Products?
A child who’s near a product when it catches on fire unexpectedly can suffer devastating burn injuries, nerve damage, eye injuries, and even internal trauma from inhaling smoke and ash. The closer a child is to a product when it catches on fire, the more likely it is that the injuries will be catastrophic and, many times, permanent.
Through a product liability lawsuit, injured children and their families can seek compensation to help offset resulting consequences, which can include:
- Current and future medical bills
- Parents’ lost wages
- Child’s future loss of income or reduced earning capacity
- Disability
- Nursing assistance
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Inconvenience
- Emotional distress
- Physical scarring and disfigurement
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Punitive damages can also potentially be available if there’s evidence that the toy manufacturer knowingly put a product with a known risk of catching on fire on the market or failed to recall a dangerous product once a fire risk was determined.
Call Singleton Schreiber For Help If Your Child Was Injured Because of a Battery Fire
If your child was injured because of a battery fire in a children’s product, it’s important to consider your family’s legal rights and options. The toy manufacturer or retailer that sold the dangerous product might be liable for your child’s medical bills, income you’ve lost due to your child’s injuries, and the potentially life-long pain and suffering your child might endure.
Singleton Schreiber is the legal powerhouse you’ll want fighting for your child’s future. We’re award-winning personal injury lawyers with an unmatched ability to take on multinational corporations and win top-tier case results for our clients. Those results include more than $3 billion in monetary awards.
When you ask for our help after your child suffers incomprehensible harm, you’ll have the full force of our local litigators and national resources in your corner. We won’t rest until the company that put the unsafe product in your child’s hands is held accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
There’s a limited time to pursue compensation for injuries resulting from battery fires in children’s products. Don’t hesitate to contact our law office for a free consultation today. We’re always standing by to help - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
