The Connecticut Department of Consumer
Protection’s (DCP) October 2015 press release warns consumers and resellers to
immediately disable “Lane” and “Virginia Maid” brand cedar chests with
lids. The warning came in the wake of
the 2014 deaths of a brother and sister who suffocated in a chest after the lid
closed and automatically latched shut.
The Lane Furniture Company, in cooperation
with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), initially recalled
12 million chests in 1996, with subsequent recalls in 2000 and 2014. To avoid further tragedies, DCP and CPSC
conducted over 50 compliance checks at second hand stores and educated
businesses on how to identify the recalled items before consumers purchase
them.
Lane recalled 12 million chests since 1996
with latches that automatically lock with the lid is closed, the article
states. The company continues to offer new latches for these chests without
charge. Despite past recalls, press releases, and replacement offers, approximately
six million locks still need replacements according to Lane’s product safety webpage.
