It’s almost that time of year again, when summer gives way to fall and the state of Texas turns its attention to football. Whether your child plays high school football or plays in a community football league, Texas is a leader when it comes to youth football, which is why parents will want to pay close attention to a recall just announced yesterday, regarding football helmets that could potentially crack and result in a greater head injury risk to your child.
A Michigan-based manufacturer of sports equipment, Xenith, has issued a recall of about 6,000 youth football helmets they sold nationwide because of that potential hazard, according to their announcement, which came from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Covered under the recall are a number of Xenith gloss or metallic painted EPIC Varsity, X2 Varsity, X2E Varsity and youth football helmets that were either manufactured or factory reconditioned and painted by Xenith between May 1, 2015 and March 18, 2016. The helmets were sold through many outlets, including team dealers and direct school sales, as well as retail outlets nationwide, like BSN, Buddy’s All Stars, Carey’s Sporting Goods, End Zone Sports and Sports, Inc. They were also sold online at Eastbay.com, Footlocker.com, SafetyFirstSports.com, SportsUnlimitedInc.com and Xenith.com for between $140 and $400.
The helmets were sold in multiple sizes, colors and custom-paint designs and came with facemasks and chin cups and some may have optional eye shields. To find out if your child’s helmet is part of the recall, a complete list of serial numbers for helmets included can be found at the Xenith.com website, under “Recall.” The serial number is printed on a white sticker inside the crown of the helmet, along with the date of manufacture. Xenith has noted that no other Xenith products are affected by the recall.
The recall comes after the company received 29 reports of helmets having cracked. Although there have been no reports of injuries thus far, Xenith is asking that football players who have one of these helmets stop using them immediately and that parents and coaches contact Xenith to receive a new replacement helmet for free, all postage paid.
There is a lot of concern already about head injuries and football and it’s disappointing when the equipment used to keep athletes as safe as possible turns out to be defective and poses a potentially greater risk to our children. If your child participates in youth football, check their helmet. If it has been recalled, follow the instructions and make sure they stop using it immediately. Using it anyway is not worth the risk.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a sports accident, especially if the incident may be due to a defective piece of safety equipment, please contact the Defective Consumer Product Lawyer at The Hill Law Firm as soon as possible, so that we can initiate an investigation and hold those who may be liable responsible for any negligence that has occurred. We all want our children to be as safe as possible.