Baby Car Seat Injuries

Baby car seats are among the most important pieces of equipment parents rely on to keep their babies and toddlers safe. Safe and secure car seats are critical to ensuring that young children can be transported to their doctors’ appointments, day care center, play group, and elsewhere. When determining which car seat type and brand to purchase, a parent’s number one priority is typically child safety. However, safety–unlike a child’s age and size or the fit of a car seat–should not be a distinguishing characteristic between different types of commercially-sold car seats. Safety should be expected.

Unfortunately, car seats are not always 100% reliable at keeping children safe, and several have been found defective–sometimes leading to massive product recalls. One of the more recent recalls occurred in February 2011, when Dorel recalled nearly 800,000 child safety seats due to a defective harness that failed to restrain a child.

If your baby has been injured or killed due to a malfunctioning car seat that was designed, produced, or used in Massachusetts, you may be eligible to recover in a products liability lawsuit. Although the emotional pain and stress of such an accident may be irreparable, the bright child car seat attorneys at the MA firm of Altman & Altman, LLP can help maximize your financial recovery by seeking both products liability and emotional distress damages. We understand that dealing with the aftermath of your young child’s injury can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming, and our personal injury lawyers are prepared to stand by your side every step of the way.

To reduce the risk of car accidents involving young children, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that parents select a car seat that matches a child’s height and weight, have their child’s car seat inspected, discard the seat after its expiration date, and keep all children under age 13 in the backseat. Despite extra checks and precautions, however, car seats may fail to effectively restrain a child–particularly during a car accident, when such protection is most needed. For example, defective shoulder straps or harness may fail to restrain a child upon sudden impact, or improper design may cause the child to slide down towards the floor.

If your baby has been injured as a result of a defective car seat, receiving fair compensation is critical to achieving justice and ensuring proper medical care. If your child has died in such an accident, you may also be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit. The Massachusetts personal injury lawyers at Altman & Altman, LLP, located in Boston and Cambridge, have over four decades of experience and have produced significant recoveries for thousands of personal injury clients.

To schedule a free, confidential consultation with an experienced baby car seat attorney at Altman & Altman, LLP, call 617.492.3000 or 800.481.6199 (toll free) or contact us online. Our phones are answered 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, and we promptly respond to all emails. Please note that we take all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis: we charge no fee unless you recover.