Soccer Net Death Sparks Recall, Months Later
A type of foldable soccer goal is being recalled after its maker, Regent Sports Corp., received reports of young children getting caught in the net. In one case, a toddler died after getting his head tangled.
The voluntary recall was expected to be announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It affects goals sold under the MacGregor and Mitre brand names that have nets with a 5-inch grid; those with a 4-inch grid are not included in the recall.
Last year in Texas, a 21-month-old boy tried to climb on one of the MacGregor nets from the back of the goal. He fell through the mesh, and the polyethylene cord contracted around his neck.
The toddler was in a fenced-in treeless backyard that contained only the soccer goal and carpet grass. By the time the mother realized what had happened, the cord around his neck was so tight, she was unable to pull his head back through.
She sent another child back into the house for a pair of scissors while she held her dying son's head, her hands straining at the cord.
"The opening that these nylon mesh nets have is simply too big," said Scott Wolfson of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "There needs to be a 4-inch space, but there's a 5-inch space."
When it is assembled, the MacGregor goal measures 6 feet by 3 feet. The Mitre goal is 8 feet wide by 6 feet high.
Since May 2002, the goals have been sold at sports and toy stores nationwide, as well as at Wal-Mart and Ace Hardware. Prices were commonly quoted between $26 and $45.
The difference in cost between making a goal with the deadly 5-inch mesh and a goal made with the smaller, safer mesh is estimated at less than 20 cents of polyethylene cord.
The distributor, Regent Sports Corp., is based in Hauppauge, N.Y. The goals were manufactured in China.
Consumers who own the goals should return the net to Regent Sports for a replacement, the CPSC said.
Regent Sports did not return repeated phone calls. Wal-Mart would only say that they began to remove the product from their shelves in July and August. Ace Hardware did not respond to NPR's request for an interview.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has come under fierce criticism by some members of Congress for lax regulation of Chinese toys. The agency's acting chairwoman, Nancy Nord, refused calls for her resignation after she lobbied Congress to not increase the agency's budget in the wake of Chinese toy recalls.
But Pamela Gilbert, the commission's executive director during the Clinton administration, says the manufacturer and retailers should be ashamed of themselves, for continuing to sell a product for so many months after learning it could strangle American children.
"When they know about a hazard in their product, by law, and also morally, they are responsible for acting on those products' dangers," Gilbert said.
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Product Names: MacGregor Folding Soccer Goal; Mitre Folding Soccer Goal
How many on the market: About 190,000
The MacGregor's model number, 97236, is printed on the assembly instructions. Its UPC code, 029807972365, is printed on the net's packaging.
The Mitre soccer goal is model number 89186, printed on the assembly instructions; UPC code number: 029807891864.
Nets manufactured after April 2007 with 4 inch-by-4 inch square openings are not included in the recall.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Families with young children and toddlers should pay attention to this next story. It's about a deadly toy that lurks in thousands of backyards, small soccer goals made by MacGregor that have mesh nets large enough for toddlers to get their heads through and strangle. One child has already died. In this exclusive, NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is announcing a recall today.
WADE GOODWYN: The soccer goals have a six-feet-long by three-feet-high foldable white frame with a white net held on with velcro straps. On the box is a picture of a boy about five years old dressed in his soccer uniform, happily kicking the ball into the goal. But it's not the five-year-old who might die while playing with this toy, it's his little brother or sister. Scott Wolfson is with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Mr. SCOTT WOLFSON (Media Contact, Consumer Product Safety Commission): The key message for parents today is that there are about 200,000 of these dangerous recreational soccer goals in homes across the country. Parents need to get them out of the home as quickly as possible.
GOODWYN: Last year in Texas, a 21-month-old boy tried to climb the MacGregor net from the back of the goal. He fell through the mesh, and the polyethylene cord contracted around his neck. By the time the mother realized what had happened, the cord around his neck was so tight, she was unable to pull his head back through. She sent her panicking four-year-old back into the house for a pair of scissors while she held her dying son's head, her fingers straining at the cord.
Mr. WOLFSON: The opening with these nylon mesh nets is just simply too big. There needs to be a four-inch space within the nylon netting, and there's a five-inch space. That is a deadly hazard.
GOODWYN: The goals have been sold since 2002 in Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware, and other sporting good stores under the name of MacGregor and Mitre sports equipment. Both brands are divisions of Regent Sports in Hauppauge, New York. The goals are manufactured in China, and the difference in cost between making a goal with the deadly five-inch mesh or a goal made with smaller, safer mesh is estimated at less than 20 cents of polyethylene cord. In addition to the strangled child in Texas, there was another incident where a two-year-old became entangled. The child was rescued before he strangled to death. Wolfson wants parents with these types of soccer goals to go in their backyard or their garage and check.
Mr. WOLFSON: Parents shouldn't take the risk of trying to get out that measuring stick and then figure it out themselves. Get on the phone with MacGregor, get on the phone with Regent, and they will work it out for you to let you know if you have one of the recall models.
GOODWYN: Regent Sports did not respond to repeated phone calls. Wal-Mart would only say that they began to remove the product from their shelves in July and August. Ace Hardware did not respond to NPR's request for an interview. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has in the past come under fierce criticism by some members of Congress for lax regulation of Chinese toys. Pamela Gilbert was the Consumer Product Safety Commission's executive director during the Clinton administration.
Ms. PAMELA GILBERT (Former Executive Director, Consumer Product Safety Commission): One of the reasons CPSC should have acted much quicker on this recall is that this is an absolute hidden hazard. CPSC is there to protect the public from hazards we can't protect ourselves from because we don't know about them. Nobody would suspect that a soccer goal could strangle a child.
GOODWYN: The Consumer Product Safety Commission's current chairwoman, Nancy Nord, refused calls for her resignation after she lobbied Congress not to increase the agency's budget in the midst of the Chinese toy recalls. But Pamela Gilbert says the manufacturer and retailers should be ashamed too, continuing to sell a product for so many months after learning it could strangle American children.
Ms. GILBERT: We should absolutely expect the manufacturers and the retailers to act. When they know about a hazard in their product, by law and also morally they are responsible for acting on those product's dangers.
GOODWYN: The Consumer Product Safety Commission advises that parents remove the dangerous nets immediately and return them to Regent Sports for a replacement. Wade Goodwyn, NPR News, Dallas.
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MONTAGNE: You can learn more details such as model numbers about the products being recalled at our Web site, npr.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
