Button Battery Lawsuit
Legally Reviewed By: Rebecca Phillips
Mass Torts Director
- Page Last Updated:
- September 17, 2024
- Button batteries power many household objects, including some that kids may be interested in playing with. Because of their small size, button batteries can be easily swallowed.
- Button batteries can cause major injuries or even death when ingested. If you suspect your child has swallowed a button battery, you should seek emergency medical attention immediately.
- Recent legislation has strengthened packaging regulations and made it harder for button batteries to be accessed, but accidents continue to occur.
- Serious injuries or death caused by swallowing a button battery can be grounds for a product liability lawsuit.
No one expects a seemingly innocuous household object to become a deadly threat to their children. Unfortunately, annually, thousands of people end up in the emergency room after swallowing button batteries, also known as coin or disk batteries. These batteries are found in many toys and devices, and a curious toddler might be able to remove and ingest them.
If your child has suffered serious harm from swallowing a button battery, you might be able to hold the battery manufacturer accountable in a lawsuit. The nationally recognized attorneys at The Lanier Law Firm are experts in product liability law and can help you navigate the process of filing a button battery ingestion lawsuit. Contact us online or call 800-723-3216 today for a free case consultation.
What Are Button Batteries, and How Are They Used?
How Are Button Batteries Dangerous to Children?
How Common Are Button Battery Ingestion Injuries?
What Happens When A Child Swallows a Button Battery?
What Should I Do If My Child Has Swallowed a Button Battery?
What Are Some Signs of Button Battery Ingestion?
What Actions Have Been Taken to Keep Kids Safe from Button Batteries?
How Can The Lanier Law Firm Help With My Button Battery Ingestion Lawsuit?
What Are Button Batteries, and How Are They Used?
Button batteries are small, coin-shaped batteries used to power items like toys and electronic devices. Items typically powered by button batteries include the following:
- Battery-powered toys
- Small electronics, like calculators or thermometers
- Remote controls
- Key fobs
- Flashlights
- Watches
- Digital scales
- Books or greeting cards that use audio devices
- Hearing aids
- Light-up objects like ornaments or laser pointers
How Are Button Batteries Dangerous to Children?
Young children often put random objects in their mouths out of curiosity. Button batteries resemble coins—common targets for such behavior. However, they are highly dangerous when swallowed potentially burning tissue inside the body within two hours of ingestion.
How Common Are Button Battery Ingestion Injuries?
Between 2011 and 2021, roughly 54,000 people received emergency treatment for button battery ingestion, and 27 deaths occurred, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC.
National Poison Data System reports show that children aged six or younger made up roughly 66 percent of all button battery ingestion cases from 1985 to 2019, with more than 1,000 treated for button battery ingestion every year from 2003 to 2019. While the children were unharmed in the majority of cases from 1985 to 2019, 900 resulted in a moderate or major outcome, and 30 ended in death, according to NPDS data.
What Happens When A Child Swallows a Button Battery?
While button batteries sometimes pass through the digestive system without significant damage, they can quickly become very dangerous.
When button batteries come into contact with bodily fluids, they can generate an electrical current, triggering a reaction. This reaction can cause severe and potentially permanent tissue damage—even burning through an esophagus in as little as two hours if it becomes lodged there, according to the CPSC.
What Should I Do If My Child Has Swallowed a Button Battery?
If you suspect your child has ingested a battery, you should seek emergency medical attention immediately. If possible, determine the specific kind of battery the child has ingested and give that information to medical providers.
Poison Control recommends giving honey to a child who is more than a year old to help slow the chemical reaction that causes tissue to burn near the battery while you seek medical attention.
Medical professionals will give your child an X-ray to locate the battery and determine whether it is lodged in the esophagus or another organ. Based on what they find, they will decide whether to immediately remove the battery.
What Are Some Signs of Button Battery Ingestion?
Symptoms may include signs of an obstructed airway, such as wheezing, difficulty swallowing, chest pain, coughing, choking, or refusing to eat.
It’s also possible for your child to remain asymptomatic for a while after consuming a button battery. If you suspect they’ve ingested a battery, do not hesitate to seek medical attention.
What Actions Have Been Taken to Keep Kids Safe from Button Batteries?
President Biden signed Reese’s Law in 2022, directing the CPSC to create federal safety standards for button batteries and products containing them.
Named after an 18-month-old girl who died after swallowing a button battery, Reese’s law led to new CPSC regulations the next year, including requirements that button battery products have child-safe compartments, contain warning labels, and pass performance tests. Additionally, Reese’s Law mandates child-resistant packaging for button batteries.
How Can The Lanier Law Firm Help With My Button Battery Ingestion Lawsuit?
Our compassionate attorneys have deep knowledge of product liability laws and can handle every aspect of your swallowed battery lawsuit, navigating the legal process so you can focus on healing.
We have a reputation for winning big against some of the world’s most powerful companies, securing several multi-billion dollar verdicts and settlements.
We pride ourselves on giving personal attention to every case, treating all our clients with the same care and individual focus. We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different. We work on contingency, meaning you won’t owe us anything until we win your case.
Contact The Lanier Law Firm Today
If your child has been injured after swallowing a button battery, getting justice might seem like an uphill battle. Our dedicated and passionate attorneys can even the odds with serious and sound legal representation. Call us today at 800-723-3216 for a free case consultation.
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