SEATTLE - Smith and Noble is recalling 1.3 million Roman shades and roller shades, after a child was nearly strangled.
"I was looking the other way, and he put it around his neck, and it caught behind his ears," says Grace Meacham of Tacoma, about the incident in May 2009.
Her son, Jake, had been playing near the shades cords.
"He stepped off the ledge, or fell off. He was dangling and couldn't speak," she continued.
Jake was able to get untangled and is now a typical 6-year-old boy. But the incident prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall the the devices because of the cord system.
Millions of blinds and shades have been recalled for posing a strangulation hazard over the past several years.
In June the agency warned window blind and shade manufacturers that their products -- responsible for one child strangling each month -- must be safer or they will face new regulations.
In fact, Bernie Paul, who owns Horizon Blinds of Tacoma, says companies have developed new technologies specificially to avoid risk.
"I often recommend systems that have a cordless built in, so there won't be any issues," says Paul.
Meacham installed a small tension mechanism on her cords to avoid another incident.
"You know exactly what could have happened," says Meacham. "We were real lucky."
The Smith and Noble blinds were sold on the company's website and through its catalog between 1998 through April 2010.
For a free repair kit, call 800-506-4636.
For further information about the recall:
