Midlothian Girl Endangered by Overheated Flashlight Toy

Midlothian - Brandi Pavoni thought her 3-year old daughter Emily was safe when she put her down for a nap about three weeks ago in her south suburban Midlothian home.

Emily fell asleep next to her new toy, a flashlight that came with Halloween-themed stencils. The stencils slip over the bulb and project scary images such as a witch and a bat.

When she put Emily down, Pavoni said she made sure the flashlight was off before she left the room.

A few minutes later, she smelled something burning and rushed to the bedroom to see smoke coming from Emily's bed. Pavoni said the bottom part of the flashlight, opposite the bulb, had melted away and began burning through a pillow into the mattress. The girl was not harmed.

The metal coil that contacts the battery had become so hot it began to melt the plastic casing, despite the switch being off, Pavoni said.

Assuming it was just a lemon, Pavoni returned to the Target store in Crestwood to buy a replacement flashlight. But when she went to pay, the clerk said the computer check-out system indicated that the flashlights were not to be sold.

Realizing that all of the product was defective, Pavoni said she spoke with store management and Target's corporate office to tell what happened to her, but "it seemed like all they were worried about was the possibility of a lawsuit."

"If this happened to someone else and I didn't do anything, I would feel bad. I'm not even looking for them to pay for the damage to the pillow and mattress," she said.

Target spokeswoman Sarah Bakken indicated in an e-mail to the SouthtownStar that two models of the toy flashlight had been pulled from Target's shelves after the retailer received reports of them overheating.

Bakken wrote that customers who have either model may return it to any Target store for a full refund, and customers with questions regarding the withdrawal of the product may contact guest.relations@target.com .

Meanwhile, Pavoni contacted the manufacturer to make sure it knew of the overheating problem and also submitted her damaged flashlight to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for testing. Representatives from the commission could not be reached for comment.