
A mom is suing Warner Bros., the company behind the Harry Potter movies, after a licensed Harry Potter toy impaled her toddler's eye, causing permanent damage. She is suing the company for $8 million in damages, including the emotional toll this has placed on her child and family.
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The toy in question: a light-up wand pen
Jessica Perry bought the light-up wand pen for her older child from a store, multiple outlets report. As her child was imitating the way the actors in the film use their wands, the metal part of the pen flew out of the pen, impaling the eye of her 3-year-old son, Hunter.
According to the lawsuit, Perry says the metal "ejected from the hilt/cap, flew across the room, and pierced Hunter's left eye, rupturing his eyeball and causing his inner eye fluid to spill out and run down his check."
Hunter had to undergo multiple surgeries
Perry shared photos in the lawsuit, giving additional context to Hunter's injuries. She shared that the incident led to the boy needing "an intense and painful surgery." But apparently his retina was still too unstable because of the injuries, causing near blindness and "forcing him to undergo a second painful surgery to stabilize it."
There were also painful treatments he had to deal with
In addition to the surgeries, Hunter had to have several other treatments multiple times a day for months. Perry called the treatments "traumatizing," saying that he had to have "medications administered to his eyes that caused him to scream in agony and beg his parents to stop."
He also had to wear an eye patch, which "frightened him to the point where he now cannot sleep unless he has full lighting on in his room."
Perry alleges Warner Bros. knew of the possible danger
Though Perry bought the pen in a store, it is also available online and there is a review on Amazon in which one person states that the pen "almost killed me."
The reviewer explained that their child went to brandish the wand, and suddenly the cap "flies off and hits me in the head. It hurt so bad I thought I had an aneurysm. " They said, "I suppose it would work well with your enemies," but warned against giving it to a child.
Perry said in the lawsuit that Warner Bros. knew such a review existed, but did nothing to remove the product from stores.
Hunter's life is forever changed
The kind of eye injury Hunter had isn't one that has an easy fix. They explained that "even with this treatment, Hunter's life will never be the same, as he has to protect his affected retina from coming loose again. From the age of only 3, Hunter will never be able to play sports, roughhouse, or have a normal life. Instead, he lives in post-traumatic fear that has affected every aspect of his life. He now seeks redress for his physical and psychological injuries."