Carex brand bed rails, which are designed to keep people from rolling out of bed and assist them in getting up, have been recalled after three elderly people became trapped between the product and their mattress and subsequently died, according to a new report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The bed rails, which includes Carex Bed Support Rails (model P566) and Carex brand Easy Up 2-in-1 Bed Rails (model P569), were sold in the U.S. and Canada from November of 2012 until December 2021 before they were recalled. The bed rails retail for between $22 and $80.
The three deaths include a 85-year-old man who died at an assisted living facility in Ohio, an 84-year-old woman who died at her home in California, and an 88-year-old woman who died at an assisted living facility in Washington state.
“In each incident, the bed rail was not securely attached to the bed and the user became entrapped between the product and their mattress,” the CPSC said in a statement.
The Carex brand is produced by Compass Health Brands, which is reportedly working with the CPSC on the recall. Consumers are encouraged to contact Compass Health Brands to receive a refund or a free repair kit.
As the CPSC explains:
The name “Carex” and the model number are printed on a label on the bottom of the rails. The Bed Support Rail has white metal rails with black foam grip and measures about 35 inches high and 20 inches wide. The Easy Up 2-in-1 Bed Rail is comprised of a dark brown metal support rail with black foam grips and a dark brown metal bed rail. The support rail measures about 21 inches high and 17 inches wide and the bed rail measures about 20 inches high and 30 inches wide.
There’s also a YouTube video explaining how to make sure your recalled bed rails are safe.
Disturbingly, this isn’t the first bed rail recall this month. Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare recalled almost half a million similar bed rails earlier this month in conjunction with the CPSC after two deaths, a 93-year-old woman in California and a 92-year-old man in Canada.