The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Britax Child Safety Inc. have announced the recall of about 23,000 Chaperone Infant car seats. The recall comes after the manufacturer received three reports of minor injuries sustained because the seat’s harness chest clip broke and became a laceration danger and a choking hazard.
Injuries reported have included scratches to the arms and a finger related to the child seat defect. One infant reportedly put the chip in his mouth.
Parents, guardians, and caretakers are asked to stop allowing the babies and young children to use the car seats. If you contact Britax, the manufacturer can send you a free repair kit.
It was just last month that Evenflo recalled more than 18,000 Maestro child safety seats because they failed a frontal-impact crash test conducted byConsumer Reports. Two of the seats that were tested ended up with a harness that had come loose and a crack shell. No injuries to children were reported.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2008, research showed that child safety seats reduces fatal crash injuries for infants in the under the 1 age group by 71%. It lowers the number of fatal car crash injuries for kids in the 1 to 4 age group by 54%. When a child is securely fastened in a child safety seat while riding in a light truck, the reduction in fatal injuries for infants is 58%. It is 59% for the 1 – 4 age group.
Unfortunately, even if a parent or caretaker secures a child in a safety restrain system that is the right size and type, if the child safety seat isn’t free from defects and/or malfunctions, then their attempts to protect their son/or daughter from getting hurt or dying in a car crash can prove futile.
Manufacturers of defective child car seats and booster seats can be held liable for products liability.
Contact our child injury law firm to explore your products liability options.
