When you place your child into a car seat, you expect that the seat will keep them safe in the event of a car accident. Unfortunately, child car seats are one of the most common products to have manufacturer defects. Some of these defects never amount to anything if the seat is never in a motor vehicle collision. However, other defects may cause a child to become critically injured or even lose their life in a crash. Here’s how child car seats can be defective and what you can do if your child was harmed due to a defective car seat.
Problems with Safety Restraints
The safety restraints in a child car seat are critical to reducing the risk of injury to a child in a collision. Safety restraints that have not be installed right by manufacturing plant assemblers can cause a small child to slip out from the restraints. Or, weak locks on latch mechanisms can cause the latches to become undone under the force of an accident. Locks that don’t unlatch properly can keep a child restrained in a vehicle after a collision too long, which can prevent adults and even emergency service personnel from removing the child from the vehicle after a crash.
Faulty Installation Mechanisms
Apart from the belts and latch mechanisms that keep the child in the seat, there are belts and latch mechanisms that keep the seat in the car. While many people assume that problems with installation mechanisms are due to the user not properly installing the seat, many problems are actually caused by faulty installation mechanisms themselves. When an installation mechanism doesn’t latch properly or the belts don’t tighten enough to keep the seat firmly in the car, there is significantly more risk of injury in an accident.
Flammable Fabrics & Improper Cushioning
Some car seats will lack the amount of cushioning needed to protect a child in a collision, or the cushioning may slide apart from the plastic base. Or, the fabric may be flammable, leading to critical injury or death in the event of a car accident where a fire occurs.
When to Contact a Product Liability Attorney
If you believe your child was injured in a car accident due to a defect car seat, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, vehicle damage, emotional trauma, and other related expenses. Contact Zink & Lenzi Injury Lawyers today to learn more or to schedule a consultation at (530) 895-1234.