Defective Car Seat Injuries

When parents secure their children into a car seat, they do everything they can to keep them safe. According to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), car seats are essential in keeping young children safe in the event of a car accident. “Car seats are awesome at protecting children in a crash,” said Benjamin Hoffman, MD, Chair of the AAP Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. “They are the reason deaths and injuries to children in motor vehicle crashes have decreased.” However, many parents don’t realize that the car seat they’re securing their child can be defective — at least, not until it’s too late. According to a Birth Injury Guide (BIG) report, “an estimated 500 injuries have been reported among infants in car seats under recall status.” Approximately 10 million car seats were recalled for being defective over three years between 1998 and 2001. Because car seats carry the important function of ensuring the safety of vulnerable infants, injuries and deaths caused by defective features can be so much more egregious. This is why it’s so important to understand the risks and dangers behind faulty products.

Some of the most common potential car seat dangers include:

Defective latches or buckles
Defective strap adjusters
Combustible materials
Poor construction
Weak protective outer-shells

To ensure that you are not using a defective product, it is important to register your car seat either online or by mail.

To register, you will need:

The car seat label
The name of the manufacturer
The model number
The date that the product was manufactured

If you purchased your car seat new, it should come with a pre-filled registration card that you can send in the mail. You can also register your car seat online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/parents-and-caregivers. To find out if your car seat is under recall, you can visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website to check.

Contact a New York Product Liability Attorney

Parents expect the car seats they purchase to be safe and effective. However, when these products do not operate as intended, a devastating tragedy results. If your child has been the victim of severe injury or death due to a defective car seat, you are undoubtedly going through a challenging time. You do not have to go through this alone. At Hach & Rose, LLP, we understand that no financial compensation can compensate for a traumatic loss. However, our compassionate and experienced team of attorneys will do everything possible to obtain justice on your child’s behalf.