Fixing defective crib

Crib Injury Attorney in Chicago

Parents place an incredible amount of trust in nursery products, especially cribs designed to protect infants when they’re most vulnerable. When that trust is broken, and a defective crib causes serious injury or wrongful death, the company can be held accountable for the heartbreaking consequences caused as a result.

The Chicago crib accident lawyers at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C. proudly protect the rights of families after tragic crib-related injuries and fatalities. Our crib injury attorneys help families pursue legal action when a child is harmed by a defective or dangerous crib.  Our legal team has decades of experience holding manufacturers accountable for dangerous products that harm children. We stand ready to fight for the answers and the justice you deserve. Contact us today to learn more.

Why Choose Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. for Your Family’s Claim?

The infant death crib injury attorney you choose can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. Here’s what you can expect when you choose the team at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C.:

  • Over 40 Years of Experience: We have been fighting for the rights of clients in Chicago and throughout Illinois for over four decades. We understand the laws and courts that will shape your case, and we know how to deliver the results you deserve.
  • Record-Breaking Results: Our firm has recovered over $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including over 400 multi-million dollar recoveries, including verdicts of $363 million, $241 million, and $148 million.
  • The #1 Law Firm in Illinois: Chicago Lawyer Magazine and the Jury Verdict Reporter ranked us the #1 law firm in Illinois in their annual settlement report in both 2024 and 2025, a period in which we recovered a combined $580 million on behalf of our clients.
  • Compassionate Legal Services: Child injury cases can be incredibly emotional and challenging for our clients. We offer skilled legal guidance, clear communication compassion, and understanding during this difficult time.
  • No Fees Unless We Win: Our personal injury law firm works on a contingency basis, meaning you will not have to pay any attorney fees upfront. You only pay for our legal services if we recover compensation for you.

Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options.

Common Crib Defects That Endanger Infants

Crib manufacturers have a legal obligation to design and build products that protect infants during sleep and rest, not harm them. When a company violates consumer trust by designing unsafe cribs or ignoring safety standards, the consequences can prove devastating.

Our crib injury attorneys in Chicago routinely investigate injuries and deaths linked to several recurring crib defects, including:

Drop-Side Crib Failures

Drop-side cribs allow one side of the crib to lower. However, defective latching mechanisms can loosen or collapse without warning. These failures can:

  • Trap an infant’s head or neck
  • Cause strangulation or suffocation
  • Allow a baby to fall from the crib

Slat Entrapment and Breakage

Crib slats must maintain consistent spacing and structural strength. Poor design or weak materials can allow slats to bend, snap, or separate, leading to serious injury and potentially death.

Slat defects can result in:

  • Head or limb entrapment
  • Strangulation between slats
  • Falls from the crib

Mattress Gaps and Poor Fit

A crib mattress must fit tightly within the crib frame. Gaps between the mattress and crib walls create deadly hazards.

Mattress gap defects can cause:

  • Suffocation
  • Positional asphyxia
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Even a gap of a few inches can place an infant at extreme risk. Our Chicago product liability attorneys can investigate the incident to determine who bears responsibility for this dangerous defect.

Loose or Missing Hardware

Cribs rely on screws, bolts, and other fasteners to maintain stability and keep infants safe. Missing or poorly installed hardware can quickly turn a sturdy crib into a serious hazard.

Loose or missing hardware may:

  • Cause side panels to collapse
  • Lead to slats detaching unexpectedly
  • Increase risk of falls or strangulation

Parents often assume a crib poses no risk if it appears intact, but even a single missing screw can create a potentially deadly situation.

Damaged Structural Integrity

Cribs must withstand normal wear and tear without collapsing. Cracked wood, bent metal, warped joints, or any otherwise compromised structure can lead to catastrophic injury.

Structural damage can result in:

  • Sudden crib collapse
  • Entrapment of limbs or the head
  • Unstable sleep surfaces that increase suffocation risk

If one of these dangerous products caused your infant harm, you need a skilled product liability lawyer for infant cribs in Illinois to hold the manufacturer responsible.

Crib Safety and Regulations

Ensuring crib safety is one of the most important responsibilities for parents, as infants are particularly vulnerable to serious injuries caused by defective products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has established strict regulations to minimize the risk of harm. Despite these efforts, manufacturing defects and design flaws continue to pose a risk to infants, as not all cribs on the market meet the highest safety standards.

Product Liability Laws in Crib Injury Cases

Illinois product liability law protects families from dangerous consumer products, including nursery furniture. Product liability cases involving cribs often require families to preserve evidence and document medical records and crib defects, as this documentation is essential for pursuing legal claims after an injury occurs. Parents don’t necessarily need to prove negligence in these cases. Instead, state law allows claims based on the condition of the product itself.

A successful faulty crib lawsuit in Chicago typically relies on proving design or manufacturing defects or showing that the manufacturer’s failure to adequately warn consumers about the known dangers of their product caused children to suffer injuries. Under strict liability, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers can be held liable if a defective crib causes harm. To succeed, you need to show that the crib was unreasonably dangerous and that the defect caused your child’s injury.

To prove product liability, our attorneys work with engineers and safety experts to examine the crib and identify design flaws or manufacturing errors that caused the injury or death. This process can include analyzing design blueprints, manufacturing protocols, quality control reports, and supplier contracts.

Who Is Liable for a Defective Crib?

Crib injury cases often involve multiple responsible parties. Illinois law allows families to pursue claims against every entity that contributed to the incident. Those entities may include:

  • Crib designers
  • Manufacturers or component suppliers
  • Distributors or wholesalers
  • Retail stores and online sellers
  • Companies that imported foreign-made cribs

Our personal injury attorneys can launch an immediate investigation into the incident to determine how it occurred and who may be responsible. Once we know where liability falls, we can build a compelling case for the justice you and your family deserve.

 Seeking Compensation for Child Injury

When a defective crib injures a child, parents may be entitled to seek compensation for a wide range of damages. This includes economic damages, such as medical bills, ongoing treatment costs, and any lost wages if a parent must take time off work to care for their injured child.

In some cases, compensatory damages can cover additional expenses like rehabilitation or necessary home modifications to accommodate your child’s needs.

In addition, non-economic damages—such as pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and loss of enjoyment of life—may also be available to help address the full impact of the injury.

A skilled product liability lawyer from Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C. can assess your case, determine the maximum compensation you may be entitled to, and guide you through your legal options.

The Statute of Limitations for Child Injuries in Illinois

Families face strict deadlines when filing a lawsuit against a crib manufacturer in Chicago. However, because these incidents involve infants, Illinois law follows unique rules that deviate from standard personal injury cases and allow more time to file claims.

Parents may bring claims on behalf of injured minors. However, if the child brings the case, the deadline often pauses until the injured minor’s 18th birthday. From that day, they have two years to file a lawsuit.

However, another law, known as the statute of repose, sets a ten-year absolute deadline for injured consumers to file a product liability claim.

In wrongful death cases, you must file a lawsuit within two years of the date of death. If the cause of death is not immediately known, the two-year period may begin from the date the cause was, or reasonably should have been, discovered.

Don’t wait—contact a trusted law firm today to learn how you can hold the responsible parties accountable and secure a safer future for your family.

Contact a Chicago Crib Injury Attorney Today

If your child suffered harm due to a malfunctioning or defective crib, you deserve justice. The team at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C. will fight to hold the at-fault party accountable and recover maximum compensation on behalf of you and your family. Contact us today for your free consultation with a crib injury attorney in Chicago.