Pet Gates, Baby Gates, and Pet Access Doors
In some cases, pet gates, baby gates, and pet access doors can all present a potential danger in the home, because of their design - be that a result of a design flaw, or simply by the nature of their size, construction, or a variety of other factors.
Safety Gates
Pet gates and baby gates are household consumer goods intended primarily to restrict the movement of pets, children, or both. A gate can keep a pet or a child confined in or out of a particular area. Gates are generally either pressure-mounted or hardware mounted.
Walk-through gates are designed to permit an adult to open the gate, walk through it, and then close the gate again. But, some walk-through gates have a specific design defect inherent which is manifested when the gate door is in the open position. Normally, when one opens a door, it is "open" and one is free to walk unencumbered through the door. However, there is an inconspicuously low, (but yet off the ground) horizontal support, the "tripping bar," that extends across the threshold of the 'open' gate, creating an unreasonably dangerous, and foreseeable, stumbling hazard.
Tripping and falling down incidents are serious and constitute the number one cause of crippling injuries, especially to seniors. Child safety gates are generally quite low, and often cause falling or tripping injuries, which may include any of the following:
- fractures
- surgical orthopedic injuries
- spinal injuries
- head injuries
- death
Pet Access Doors
One of the best parts of living in Florida is the weather - Florida's nice, sunny climate means that swimming pools very common. Of course, with swimming pools, comes the danger of drowning, especially for children. Pet doors, made to facilitate ingress and egress for your pets are sometimes used by small children, creating an enormous hazard.
Many people don't realize the hidden dangers associated with pet access doors. It is not uncommon for a child four years of age or younger to use a pet door to access an otherwise secured swimming pool area - and, statistics show that the majority of drowning deaths occur in the family pool. A crawling child can also exit through a doggie door, and quickly be lost, or be drowned in a nearby neighbor's unsecured swimming pool.
If your child has suffered serious injuries, or even death from exiting a pet access door or child safety gate, fill out the form on the right side of this page for a free case evaluation or call us, or stop by our office for a free information packet. We're here to help.
Related Links
Pool Safety Tips for Parents (Opens in a new window)
Consumer Reports Safety Gates (Opens in a new window)
Over the years, the dedicated attorneys of Viles and Beckman have helped many victims and their families obtain rightful remuneration for their physical and emotional suffering.
Do you have a claim involving Pet Doors or Child Safety Gates?
Over the years, the dedicated attorneys of Viles and Beckman have helped many victims and their families obtain rightful remuneration for their physical and emotional suffering. The attorneys at Viles and Beckman, LLC are dedicated to help you get the justice you deserve. If you or someone you know has been injured, or even killed because of a pet door, or child safety gate, call Viles and Beckman, LLC at 1-800-64-VILES (1-800-648-4537) or fill out the form on the right side of this page to request your FREE CASE REVIEW - after our attorneys look over your case, we'll contact you to discuss your next steps.
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