A new study found in theClinical Pediatrics journal is reporting that between 2003 and 2010 there has been a more than 22% rise in injuries involving high chairs. According to the study, some 9,400 high chair-related injuries are treated in the US every year with fall accidents as the most common type of incident.
While researchers don’t know exactly why the number of high chair injuries has gone up, the reasons for why they happen seem to be common. Placing a high chair too close to the counter or table, which can cause child to fall and strike another object hard is one example. Parents or guardians incorrectly seating kids in the chairs and failing to strap them up securely are two others reasons that children fall out. (The researchers said that many of the kids who fell from high chairs were climbing or standing on one when the accident happened.) High chair defects and a greater awareness of head injuries were also two likely causes noted.
In recent years, around 3.5 million high chairs have been recalled for product defects, including in poor plastic joints, faulty restraint bars, and inadequate seatbelts. Other common high chair defects include inadequate stability, poor locking mechanisms, design defects, unstable gravity centers, and improper restraints. (High chair recalls are announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.)
At The Gilbert Law Group®, our child products liability lawyers represent children and their families that were injured because of product defects. Please contact our high chair defects law firm today.
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association offers a number of tips for increasing high chair safety:
- Don’t rely on the feeding tray to keep the child restrained in the chair.
- Make sure to secure your baby with the seat restraints.
- Keep the high chair far enough away from counters, tables, walls, or other objects that a baby can’t push off from anything.
- Check the high chair’s stability before allowing your infant to use it.
- Don’t leave your child unsupervised.
Child Injuries & Household Furniture
Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospitals have said that about 14,000 Americans younger than age 17 end up in emergency rooms each year because of accidents involving household furniture. About 300 of them end up dying. The figures don’t include the individuals who got hurt but did not seek medical care.
The researchers found that most of the 14,000 injuries involved kids younger than 6, with the most serious injuries, to the head and neck, happening to toddlers. Furniture at risk of tipping over appeared to be the main cause of injury.
Our furniture injury lawyers are familiar with the different defects and other issues that can cause serious injury to children. We work with clients nationwide and we are not afraid to go after large companies in order to make sure our clients get the compensation that they are owed. Your case assessment with our child injury law firm is a free, no obligation consultation.
