No parent ever wants to hear that their child has been involved in a car accident. Unfortunately, it's a grim reality that many parents must contend 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 keep their children safe. Statistics show us that by putting kids in age as well as size appropriate car seats, they significantly cut down on serious and even fatal injuries.
But even when parents think they are buying what is a safe child safety or booster seat they can sometimes be mistaken. Over the past few years, some car seats have been recalled because of safety concerns. In 2009, Dorel Group recalled certain Maxi-Cosi Infant Child Restraint systems. The problem centered on the mounting bracket and the base, in addition to inadequate matting. The company says this could cause a child to be injured in a crash.
But as a parent, how can you tell if a child seat is safe and what should you do if the child car seat you purchased is recalled? Gathering as much information before purchasing is key. And, if your chosen seat is recalled that doesn't mean the product will have to be sent back. A majority of the problems associated with a defective or recalled product can be fixed by having the manufacturer send a replacement part, free of charge.
Proper use and installation of a booster seat or child car seat is critical. Recently almost 3,500 vehicles using child car seats were observed and 72% of them were found to be installed improperly. This all-to-common mistake puts children at unnecessary risk of injury.
All products should come with a reasonable expectation of safety, none more so than your child's car seat. You're probably used to being inundated with a plethora of products all designed for your child, but it is important to know the history of any safety product. This is doubly true if the car seat you're purchasing is not new.
In these tough economic times, parents sometimes opt to purchase pre-owned items. This can be dangerous as some car seats have been recalled or even been involved in a car crash. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has found that many thrift stores sell hazardous products, including children's products, such as infant car seats that have been recalled.
Despite the many efforts of the government and retailers over the last several years in the interest of safety, children of all ages still suffer injury due to defective products.
More Information:
If your child has suffered an injury during an auto accident and was properly riding in a child car seat, contact infant and
infant car seat injury attorney Jeffrey Killino at 1-877-875-2927 today. As defective infant and child car seat lawyers, they can offer you a free consultation on whether you may file a claim against a child car seat manufacturer.
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