A young Colorado mother died after suffering a head injury and a broken neck, the result of a water slide experience gone awry. The Banzai Falls slide she was on deflated.

This tragic accident, plus another when a camp counselor in Missouri was left a person quadriplegic after hitting his head in the same maneuver, and other reports of serious injuries, spurred the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on May 10, 2012, to recall the 21,000 inflatable Banzai in-ground pool water slides sold by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Toys R Us, Inc.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs in one of the cases charged that the pool slide was never tested to learn if it met federal safety standards before or after the retailer imported it from China – a violation of federal law.

Banzai Falls inflatable pool slides, which have a blue base, yellow sliding mat, and an arch over the top of the slide, were manufactured by Manley Toys, Ltd. and sold at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us from January 2005 to June 2009, for about $250. A hose connected to the top is sprayed onto a downward slope to create the water-slide effect.

Please check the Barcode Number 2675315734 and Model Number 15734. If you own these slides, please stop using them and return them, or just the two safety warning notices, for a full refund.

The CPSC says consumers should be aware that “it is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled product. While retailers are required to remove recalled products from store shelves and post recall notices, the items may still be available for sale second-hand, such as through a yard sale.”