Target recalls over 200K units of lethal blankets after two young girls, 4 and 6, died from asphyxiation
JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: Back in April 2022, two sisters, aged 4 and 6, suffocated to death inside a weighted blanket in North Carolina. Now, the retailer and US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on Thursday, December 22, that Target is recalling about 204,000 units of the same. The CPSC added that Target also received two more reports of children becoming entrapped in the deadly blankets.
The young girls met with their tragic fate at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base camp in North Carolina. At the time, WITN reported that two victims died at their parent’s home in the Berkeley Manor housing area of Camp Lejeune. The father of the two sisters was a staff sergeant with the 3d Battalion, 6th Marines, at the time. The blankets are called the Pillowfort weighted blankets. They're now considered hazardous as children can be entrapped inside them by unzipping and entering the blanket, eventually leading to asphyxiation. CPSC claims to have received four reports of children becoming entrapped in these weighted blankets which were made in China.
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The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took to Twitter to spread awareness about this lethal product and said, "Pillowfort weighted blankets; A young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the blanket, posing a risk of death by asphyxiation. Two child deaths reported. Stop use, get full refund."
The Pillowfort weighted blanket is available in eight prints and colors - unicorn white, space navy, pink, blue, gray, buffalo plaid red, blue constellation, and unicorn pink.
#Recall: @Target Pillowfort weighted blankets; A young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the blanket, posing a risk of death by asphyxiation. Two child deaths reported. Stop use, get full refund. Full notice: https://t.co/bK06q2GlSq pic.twitter.com/0WLUhRo6gA
— US Consumer Product Safety Commission (@USCPSC) December 22, 2022
Target recalls deadly blanket and issues statement
CPSC has urged to ban the use of these blankets stating that "CPSC and Target are urging consumers to stop using the recalled weighted blankets immediately and contact Target for a refund." These six-pound, 60-inches long and 40-inches wide with removable, waterproof, and washable cover death traps were sold exclusively in Target stores and online from December 2018 through September 2022 for $40.
Target issued a statement via USA Today and said, "We send our deepest condolences and support to the family that lost their loved ones. As soon as we became aware of the situation, we acted quickly to begin removing Pillowfort Weighted Blankets from our assortment and have pulled all of these items from sale. If a guest owns any of these products, they should immediately stop using them and return them to Target for a full refund."