The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using adult portable bed rails made by Mobility Transfer Systems after 3 deaths were reported.
The bed rails create an entrapment hazard if a person gets wedged between the rail and the mattress, or within parts of the bed rail itself. The problem poses a risk of suffocation, strangulation and death.
At least 3 elderly people have died after becoming trapped in the bed rails, including a 78-year-old woman in a Michigan assisted living facility in 2006, an 85-year-old man in an Oklahoma nursing home in 2007, and a 90-year-old disabled woman in California in 2013.
The bed rails were sold at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, MTSMedicalSupply.com, VitalityMedical.com, Alimed.com, Ebay.com and other online retailers for between about $30 and $170.
The bed rails were manufactured and sold by Mobility Transfer Systems Inc. from 1992 to 2021, and by Metal Tubing USA Inc. in 2021 and 2022. Neither company has agreed to recall the bed rails.
In the meantime, safety officials urge consumers to immediately stop using, disassemble and dispose of the following bed rails:
- Freedom Grip (model 501)
- Freedom Grip Plus (model 502)
- Freedom Grip Travel (model 505)
- Reversible Slant Rail (model 600)
- Transfer Handle (model 2025)
- Easy Adjustable (model 2500)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail, single-sided (model 5075)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail – Extra Tall, single-sided (model 5075T)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail, double-sided (model 5085)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail – Extra Tall, double-sided (model 5085T)
To identify the recalled bed rails, consumers can look at pictures on the recall notice, or find the name “Mobility Transfer Systems” and the model number, which are printed on a label located on the grip handle.