Tornado spiral slides
CPSC Recall #93-038 — January 25, 1993
Recall Summary
| Recall Number | 93-038 |
| Recall Date | January 25, 1993 |
| Remedy Type | Repair |
| Units Affected | Approximately 3,000 |
Product
Tornado spiral slides
Description
PRODUCT: Tornado spiral slides manufactured by the Miracle Recreation Equipment Company and sold nationwide from 1972 to 1991. Approximately 3,000 slides are believed to still be in use at schools, parks, and daycare centers. PROBLEM: Children's jacket hood strings or other strings may get caught in spaces near the top of the slide and cause strangulation. WHAT TO DO: Call Miracle Recreation at 1-800-523-4202 for a retrofit kit that will eliminate the spaces in which clothing strings may be caught. WASHINGTON, DC -- CPSC, Miracle Recreation Equipment Company of Monett, MO is voluntarily providing the owners of Tornado spiral slides with a retrofit kit to eliminate potentially hazardous spaces near the top of the slide in which jacket hood strings or other strings may catch and cause strangulation. Miracle Recreation Equipment Company and CPSC have received reports of two incidents on Tornado slides in which children were found hanging by jacket hood strings and one incident involving a child caught by a key on a string around her neck. The strings caught in spaces near or at the top of the slides. The hanging incidents took place in Connecticut in 1983 and in Indiana and Iowa in 1992. The Tornado spiral slides were sold nationwide from 1972 to 1991. The Tornado spiral slides are 10 to 16 feet high and have a colored fiberglass channel with a stainless steel bedway. Approximately 3,000 slides are believed to still be in use at schools, parks, and daycare centers. Miracle Recreation Company is contacting Tornado slide purchasers by mail. Consumers should not allow children to play on the Miracle Tornado spiral slides until a retrofit is safely installed in the spaces between the pole and the slide. Consumers who need more information regarding any Tornado slide that needs a retrofit kit should contact Miracle Recreation Equipment Company toll-free at 1-800-523-4202. Consumers who know of similar playground equipment hazards are urged to call the CPSC Hotline at 1-800-638-2772. CPSC continues to monitor incidents which involve children's clothing catching in spaces of all playground equipment and to work with industry to address those hazards. CPSC is announcing this corrective action program as a part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The Commission's objective is to reduce the estimated 28.5 million injuries and 21,600 deaths associated each year with the 15,000 different types of consumer products under CPSC's jurisdiction.
Hazard
Children's jacket hood strings or other strings may get caught in spaces near the top of the slide and cause strangulation.
Incidents & Injuries
Miracle Recreation Equipment Company and CPSC have received reports of two incidents on Tornado slides in which children were found hanging by jacket hood strings and one incident involving a child caught by a key on a string around her neck. The strings caught in spaces near or at the top of the slides.
Remedy Instructions
Consumers should call Miracle Recreation at 1-800-523-4202 for a retrofit kit that will eliminate the spaces in which clothing strings may be caught.
What Should You Do?
Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Repair at no charge. If you experienced an injury, report it at SaferProducts.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Follow the consumer action instructions in the recall notice above. Most recalls require you to stop using the product and contact the manufacturer directly — either by calling the toll-free number listed in the official CPSC notice or by visiting the manufacturer's website. You generally do not need a receipt or original packaging to claim a remedy. The manufacturer is legally required to provide the remedy (Repair) at no cost to you.
Yes. If you were injured by a defective consumer product — whether recalled or not — you may have grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer and potentially the retailer. A recall notice can serve as evidence that the manufacturer was aware of the defect. Injuries that may support a claim include burns, lacerations, fractures, electric shock, choking incidents, and chemical exposure. Most product liability attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless you win. Consult an attorney promptly, as statutes of limitation vary by state.
In most cases, no. CPSC-coordinated recall remedies are designed to be accessible without proof of purchase. Manufacturers typically ask consumers to self-certify ownership and may ask for photos of the product or its serial number. Some manufacturers request that you mail in a portion of the product (such as a cut cord or removed component) as proof of disposal. Check the specific remedy instructions for this recall for exact requirements. If you registered your product at the time of purchase, the process is usually even simpler.
If the original manufacturer has gone out of business, the recall remedy may no longer be available through them. In this case, contact CPSC directly at 1-800-638-2772 or cpsc.gov for guidance. If the brand was acquired by another company, the acquiring company may have assumed recall obligations. In some cases where a remedy is unavailable, CPSC advises consumers to safely dispose of the product. If you were injured by the product of a defunct company, consult a product liability attorney — parent companies, distributors, and retailers may still bear liability in some circumstances.