An 18 month old male, left alone momentarily playing in the living room of a residential home, was found hanging unconscious with chain of vertical blinds around his neck. The child apparently climbed onto the back of the sofa, became entangled, and fell, accidentally hanging himself. The child never regained consciousness and died three days later in the hospital.

Portsmouth, Virginia
June 3, 1994

Over 150 children, almost all under 3 years old, have died in window blind cord strangulations.

Tie-up or tie-down cords out of reach of children

Look for new cords without loop at bottom or tassels that "break away" if a child's head is caught.