They may be cute and cuddly, but today the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc., announced the recall of one of their famous stuffed bears, saying the eyes of the stuffed animal can become loose and cause a choking hazard.

Choking hazards on dangerous products pose great risks to young children. The company is recalling over 284,000 of their Colorful Hearts Teddy because of the hazard. It isn't clear if any injuries or deaths have resulted from the bears in Louisiana or elsewhere in the United States, but parents should take caution and return the bears if they purchased this model from a Build-A-Bear workshop or online.

Parents trust the companies that build their children's toys to manufacture safe products that will not endanger the health or wellbeing of a child. Because people are not able to inspect and determine some unknown hazards of every product they purchase, manufacturers should be held responsible for the safety of their products.

If anyone is injured by one of these bears or another defective product, they could seek compensation from the manufacturer for their injuries or injuries of family members. Because not all companies recall products before they pose a hazard to the public, people should understand their rights if they are ever injured by a dangerous product. Although it cannot undo damage done to a person, compensation for injuries may be able to help cover medical costs and loss of future income associated with the injury from a defective product.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Build-A-Bear Recalls Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears Due to Choking Hazard," Dec. 23, 2011