Bellmore Parents' Testimony Prompts Drop-Side Crib Ban

Legis. Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) and the Nassau County Legislature pushed through a measure Dec. 21  that would ban the sale of drop-side cribs in the county.  

Scores of infants across the country have died in the cribs, which feature three immovable sides and one that moves up and down to allow babies to enter and exit easily.  But when the cribs malfunction, a baby's head can become trapped between the crib side and the mattress.  

Merrick resident Michele Witte knows the dangers all too well.  She found her son, Tyler, dead in his crib on the morning of his 1o-month birthday in December 1997. Tyler's neck had become caught between the siderail and headboard of his new oak crib and he suffocated.  

"He wasn't the first to die and he won't be the last," said Witte, who founded the non-profit organization America's Most Unwanted, which seeks to educate the public about unsafe products and situations.  

A 6-month-old Bellmore baby died in 2004 in another drop-side crib incident. That baby's parents, Robert and Susan Cirigliano, spoke Monday of how the death of their son, Bobby, ripped a hole in their family.  

"As a family, our smiles have dulled and we will never be complete again," Susan Cirigliano told the legislature. "Other than mommy and daddy's arms, Bobby was in one of the safest places - his crib. The reality is Bobby's crib was not safe and our lives will never be the same."

The Ciriglianos will travel to Washington next month to speak before Congress on the drop-side crib issue, but on Monday, they expected to be present when the legislature voted on a ban on the sale of the cribs in Nassau.  

That did not happen after tensions broke out along party lines when Denenberg brought the proposed law up for vote. Legis. Richard Nicolello (R- New Hyde Park), while repeatedly stressing his support for the proposal, asked for the opinion of the county attorney as to whether the legislature had the authority to enact a sales ban.  

With no one seeming to be able to locate an attorney to comment on the issue, Republicans suggested that the proposal be tabled.  Denenberg said that regardless of what an attorney said, he wanted the motion passed. 

"Either you want the bill or you don't want the bill," he told his colleagues.  

Legislator Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa), who is poised to takeover the role of majority leader next month, blasted Denenberg for not wanting to wait for an answer from the attorney's office.  

"This is one more sign of abuse and disrespect from this administration," Schmitt said. 

The proposal was eventually tabled, leading the Ciriglianos to storm out of the chamber. 

"This is disgusting," Susan Cirigliano said as she left.  

Witte also missed the vote, taking off with her 7-month-old son, Mason. 

An hour later, with an attorney affirming the legislature's authority to ban crib sales, the board voted unanimously to approve the measure.  

"We want to try to make sure this tragedy never happens again," Denenberg said prior to the vote. "The figures are astounding, 100 deaths in two years."

Denenberg was referring to statistics from the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which reported that 90 infant deaths were caused by crib malfunctions between 2003 and 2005.   

Suffolk County became the first municipality in the country to ban sales of drop-side cribs when County Executive Steve Levy signed the measure into law last month.  

The CPSC has recalled millions of drop-side cribs in the past few years, but infants continue to suffocate in them.

Last month, the CPSC  recalled 2.1 million Stork Craft drop-side cribs, in its largest recall so far, after four children died and 15 others became trapped when the sides of their cribs dropped on them.

The victims' families hope that laws banning the sale of drop-side cribs in Suffolk and Nassau will be just the beginning as they seek to educate the public and get as many babies as they can out of harm's way.  

"You see all the safety seals," Robert Cirigliano said of the cribs.  "You believe that it's safe, but you are misled."  

As for any parents who may still be using drop-side cribs, Cirigliano has some advice: "Break'em up. Don't just throw them on the curb.  Put them out piece by piece.  Make sure no one else can ever use them."