Problems with infant and child car seats have been a topic of controversy for quite some time. We’ve all seen news reports of supposedly safe infant and toddler car carriers/seats where children have been hurt or worse.
The problem can center around a core design issue which sometimes leads to problems keeping the infant, baby or young child safe. We’ve heard of instances where faulty or defective parts, such as handles, insufficient padding, an inadequate harness or weak construction have caused everything from minor abrasions to death.
Injuries
Unfortunately problems, flaws, defects and overall imperfections have resulted in millions of car seats being recalled. In some cases, a flawed car seat, whether it be for infants, toddler or kids might do more harm than good if it is not up to code or lacks sufficient safety standards and because defects are often not discovered before the accident takes place, the safety of a car seat is unpredictable.
As experienced infant car seat attorneys, we have the depth and knowledge in understanding the implications of injuries associated from defective infant car seats. Over the years, injuries have run the gamut from head trauma to brain damage as well as spinal cord damage.
No parent ever wants to be given the news that their child has been involved in a car accident. Unfortunately, it’s a grim reality that many parents must deal with. Every year thousands of children are killed in motor vehicle crashes. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death among children in the United States. To prevent this kind of tragedy, parents purchase car seats to protect their children. Statistics show us that by putting kids in age as well size appropriate car seats, they significantly cut down on serious and even fatal injuries. But did you ever think the child car safety seat you purchase might be flawed or defective?
Who is to Blame?
There are many issues as to why a car seat might be have a problem and eventually might be recalled. Reasons vary, but sometimes involve the failure by a manufacturer to inspect or test car seat before putting it out for public consumption. Another reason is failing to realize or discover that a flaw might exist and that a so-called safe infant car seat could actually be dangerous.
When parents purchase specific products, such as infant, toddler and child car seats, they assume what they are buying are safe products. But over the years, numerous recalls have shown that child seat problems often revolve around problems such as defective handles. Statistics show that Nearly 500 injuries to infants have occurred since 1998 on recalled car seat/carrier models–to both restrained and unrestrained children. In fact, back in 2003, The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recalled as many as four million infant car seats/carriers, manufactured by Century Products. The problem centered around handles, which could break when the car seat was used as an infant carrier. Century quickly provided replacement handles to keep babies safe and secure.
The recall was issued after Century received more than 2,700 reports of handle-related problems, including handles breaking, cracking or possibly not being locked while the seat is being used as a carrier. In addition to these reports, Century has also received over 200 reports of injury, including concussions, skull fractures, lacerations, broken bones, bruises, and scratches as a result of such handle-related problems.
Car Seat Injuries: Causes and Outcomes
As a parent, when you walk into a store you are inundated with a host of products geared toward your infant, toddler older child or teenager. All these products should come with a reasonable expectation of safety. Your child’s car seat is no exception, so it’s important to know the product’s safety history especially if it has been used before. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has found that many thrift stores sell hazardous products, including children’s products, such as infant car seats that may be flawed, defective or have already been recalled.
At our firm, as infant child car seat lawyers, we have secured significant settlements, which have helped our clients pay for everything from medical bills and pain and suffering to property damage.
Several important steps toward safety have been taken by the government and retailers, but many infants, babies, and children still suffer injury. If your child has suffered an injury during an auto accident and was properly riding in a child car seat we can help.
