Credit: ABC11
Heartbroken Mom Issues Urgent Warning After 10-Month-Old Daughter Killed By Popular Toy
A heartbroken mom has shared an urgent warning following the tragic death of her baby girl.
Esther Johanna Faith Bethard, from Wisconsin, was just 10-months-old when she died in 2023.
More than a year earlier, in April 2022, Esther’s family had purchased a Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit at a Target store for their older children to play with.
The set contained beads made from a highly absorbent polymer material which can expand up to 100 times its original size when it comes into contact with liquid.
According to a complaint later filed by the family, the toy was only ever used under adult supervision before being stored in a sealed bag in its original packaging on a high shelf.
A tragic accident led to devastation
Despite taking all the necessary precautions to keep their little ones safe, a single stray bead must have been left out the packaging.
Baby Esther is believed to have found the bead and swallowed it on July 6, 2023, before starting to vomit.
Despite refusing to breastfeed from her mom, the 10-month-old appeared to stabilize overnight and her parents were completely unaware of what had really happened.
The following morning, Esther’s distraught mom found her unresponsive in her crib, lying next to a puddle of red vomit, according to documents from an unlawful death lawsuit raised against Target.
After contacting emergency services the mother desperately tried to revive her baby with CPR, but after being rushed into hospital, she was tragically declared dead.
It was there that doctors revealed Esther had died as a result of ingesting the water bead, which had expanded in her tiny little body causing a fatal obstruction.
Family file lawsuit against Target
Following Esther’s death, the family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Target, while accusing the retail giant of ‘silently removing’ the product without warning other parents of the dangers.
The family’s attorney says Target was aware of the fact the beads could expand significantly after being swallowed, leading to fatal blockages, prior to Esther’s death.
They also allege that Target quietly removed the toy from shelves, without alerting parents who had already purchased it of the dangers, despite becoming aware that other children had already suffered catastrophic, life-threatening injuries from it.
According to the complaint, Target received direct reports that two young children had suffered serious injuries after ingesting or inhaling Chuckle & Roar water beads sold exclusively through the retailer, yet others who bought the same toy were not notified of this.
The family state that this failure to alert customers of the dangers that were already unfolding is what led to Esther’s death in 2023, therefore accusing the retail giant of negligence, wrongful death and reckless disregard for consumer safety.
“Despite silently removing a dangerous product from store shelves that had caused serious harm to children, and despite the opportunity and ability to do so, the Target defendants took no steps whatsoever to warn families who had already purchased the product and still had water beads in their homes of the serious and hidden dangers associated with the product,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit alleges Target “did not contact known purchasers. They did not publish alerts on their website or in stores. They did not update the product labeling or instructions.”
Writing to the retailer, Esther’s mother said: “At the end of the day I REALLY REALLY just want to see some labeling changes — Aspiration is a serious risk, swallowing and causing stomach/intestinal damage is a serious risk.”
Thousands of toys recalled
It wasn’t until two months after Esther’s untimely death that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled roughly 52,000 Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits, warning that beads could expand inside a child’s body and cause intestinal obstruction, choking and death.
Sadly, this was too late for Esther and the other children who faced life-changing injuries.
According to the lawsuit, one toddler New Hampshire also nearly died after swallowing a bead from the same product, and required multiple bowel surgeries after developing sepsis.
Target has responded to the lawsuit with a statement provided to KSTP, via the Mirror US: “We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this tragedy, and we worked closely with the manufacturer of the product at the time the incident occurred.
“As it is an active legal matter, we cannot comment further.”
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