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WASHINGTON — At least 18 children under 15 years old died in toy-related accidents in 2007.
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The majority of these deaths were caused by blocked airways, drowning or accidents involving motor vehicles, according to Consumer Product Safety Commission data. Many of the incidents were not caused by the toys, but occurred while the children were playing.
Fourteen of the 18 children were boys.
The largest number of children, five, were killed in tricycle-related incidents — one from a fall, one from a motor vehicle accident and three from drowning after falling into pools while riding.
Another child died from complications days after falling into a pool while riding a battery-powered vehicle. Two drowned while playing near water — one with an inflatable toy and another with a toy boat.
Four children choked on rubber balls and two on uninflated balloons. One boy died after he inhaled a rubber dart, and a six-month-old suffocated when he fell off of a bed onto a stuffed toy.
Two children died after they were hit by a car while riding non-motorized scooters.
The agency estimates that 232,900 toy-related injuries were treated at hospitals in 2007.
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