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A car seat protects your child and keeps him as safe as possible during an accident. However, a defective car seat can injure or kill your child in the event of an accident.

Car seats are supposed to protect children and keep them as safe as possible during an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that when used in cars, child safety seats reduce fatal injuries by 71% for babies under a year old and by 54% for children ages one to four. However, a defective car seat can injure or kill your child in an accident, during normal driving conditions, and sometimes when you are not even in the car.

In order for a car seat to provide protection, it must be:

• In good working condition

• Designed properly to protect the child

• The appropriate size and style for the child

• Installed properly

Common Defects

Child car seat defects are not uncommon, and hundreds of models have been recalled. The Consumer Product Safety Commission keeps a list of recalls online, so you can check to find out if the car seat your child uses, or the one you plan to buy, is known to be defective. Some recalls simply involve replacing a defective part, while others mean replacing the entire unit.

Common car seat defects and failures include:

• Buckle failure

• Harness failure

• Shoulder straps which come loose or unclip during an accident

• Area where the seat belt attaches to the car seat breaks or bends, allowing the seat to launch

• Separation of seat from base, allowing the seat to launch

• Inadequate support allows child to slip down in car seat during accident

• Poor shell design

• Padding inadequate to provide protection from injury

Installation

More than 80% of car seats are improperly installed because the instruction manuals are too complicated or unclear. Manufacturers have a duty to provide instructions that are clear and accurate.

What can happen to your child in a defect car seat

Defects in child car seats and improper installation can mean that the child is held too loosely and is thrown around in the seat, striking parts of the seat and the interior of the vehicle. It can allow full ejection from the seat or cause the seat itself to be launched. Injuries caused by a defective car seat can occur during an accident, or during normal driving when braking of turning sharply.

Children riding in defective car seats can incur:

• Brain injury

• Skull fractures

• Neck injury

• Back injury

• Torn spinal cord

• Internal injuries

• Severe facial lacerations

• Bruising

• Broken bones and fractures

• Death

Defective car seats used as carriers

Many models of car seats serve a dual purpose and can be used as carriers. Unfortunately some of these models have been recalled due to handle failure. When the handle fails, the seat to flips and the baby falls out. Injuries caused by falling from these carriers have included:

• Skull fractures

• Concussions

• Cuts

• Scrapes

• Bruises

You purchase and use a car seat for one purpose only – to keep your child safe. When car seats fail they not only fail to protect your child they can actually cause the injuries they are supposed to prevent.

If your child has been injured in an auto accident and you believe it is the result of a defective car seat, contact The Injury Lawyers, P.C. today to schedule an initial consultation with our defective product attorneys in our convenient Mobile, Alabama personal injury office.

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