Children can suffer horrific injuries in car accidents due to a malfunctioning car seat. Instead of protecting your little one’s life, a defective seat can actually increase the chances of injury in car accidents, especially those including a rollover or an especially great force of impact.
If you suspect that your child’s injuries were due to a defective car seat, contact a personal injury lawyer to determine if there was negligence on the part of the manufacturer and to what extent. If your accident occurred in Massachusetts, the product liability lawyers in Boston at Kiley Law Group can help you pursue rightful compensation against the at-fault party.
Car Seats Have an Expiration Date
It may be surprising to find out that child car seats do indeed expire. As technologies improve and standards change, car seats that worked just fine five or more years ago, may not be safe to use any more. Also, the materials (plastic) from which the car seat is made can actually develop hairline fractures from long-term use. This means that the car seat is no longer safe in the event of a crash, as it may break and shatter.
Furthermore, the belts restraining your child in the seat can become elastic over a period of time, so your child may not be as snuggly restrained as you may have thought, which can prove lethal in an accident.
And lastly, some car seats are not tested after a certain amount of time. Manufacturers may not test older car seats, so they cannot say how those car seats will perform in the event of a crash.
Child Car Seat Checklist
To prevent car seat related injuries to your child, make sure that you are using the right car seat for your child and you know how to properly install a car seat. Additionally, you should follow these simple rules:
- Children under 12 should ride in the back seat.
- Use the age-appropriate car seat for your child.
- Rear-facing car seats should never be used on the front seat because of frontal air bags.
- Check the CPSC.gov website for recent car seat recalls.
- Avoid used car seats.
What to Do if Your Child has been Injured
Certain accidents cannot be avoided, but if you believe that the injuries your child has suffered are related to a defective car seat, you have every right to hold the negligent manufacturer responsible for your child’s injuries.
To find out if you have a case, contact one of our experienced Boston child injury attorneys. We are committed to obtaining just and maximum compensation for our clients. Call us today at (888) 208-1695 for a free initial consultation.
This guest blog post is brought to you by the Massachusetts personal injury law firm, the Kiley Law Group.
Call or Text 571-229-1800 or Complete a Free Case Evaluation form