If your child has been seriously injured in an accident involving a car seat, you may be eligible to file a product liability lawsuit. Although the leading cause of unintentional deaths in children ages 14 and under is car accidents, a defective child car seat may be the actual cause of a child’s injuries.A Chicago product liability lawyer has experience with defective product cases, and can help you determine whether you have a valid case. A product liability lawsuit may be in order if your child’s car seat was defective, and the liable parties either underestimated or denied your initial product liability claim. A Chicago product liability lawyer can help you begin legal proceedings, and can gather evidence to show which parties may be liable for your child’s injuries.
Overview of Dangerous Child Car Seats
When a mother buckles her child into a car seat, she trusts that he will be kept safe. But a defect in the child car seat’s design or manufacturing can be dangerous.
Some common car seat defects that lead to child injury include:
- defective latch system;
- failure to meet safety requirements;
- defective harness;
- malfunction of the handles;
- separation from the base;
- sudden release;
- flammable material; and
- faulty construction.
Injuries That Can Result from Dangerous Child Car Seats
Serious injuries that can result from dangerous car seats include:
- whiplash;
- nerve damage;
- head trauma;
- broken bones;
- skull fracture;
- concussion; and
- spinal cord injury.
When the manufacturer, distributor, designer or retailer of a product plays a role in the creation of a defective product, they can be liable for damages in a product liability lawsuit. If your child has been injured by a defective child car seat, talk with a Chicago product liability lawyer about your rights to seek compensation on behalf of your child.
Seeking Damages in a Product Liability Lawsuit
Every year in the United States, defective car seats lead to serious injuries and death. If your child was seriously injured because of a defective car seat, you may be eligible to collect damages through a product liability lawsuit.
Some types of damages that may be recovered in a product liability lawsuit account for:
- injuries;
- disfigurement;
- medical expenses;
- disability;
- rehabilitation;
- therapy; and
- pain and suffering.
Parties that can be held liable for damages include the manufacturer, designer, distributor or even the retailer who sold the car seat.
Registering Your Child Car Seat with the Manufacturer
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) strongly recommends that you register your child car seat with the manufacturer. This requires the manufacturer to notify you in the event of a recall.The following information must be provided to the manufacturer to register your child’s car seat, including:
- name of model;
- date manufactured;
- model number;
- name of manufacturer;
- your name; and
- current mailing address.
If you are unsure about some of this information, you should be able to find the model number and manufacturing date on your child’s car seat, where they are required to be by law. This information can typically be found on a label attached on the bottom, side or rear of the child car seat.
If your child has been injured from a defective child car seat that was recalled, but you’re not sure if you registered the seat, you’ll want to talk with a Chicago product liability lawyer about how that could affect the validity of your product liability lawsuit.
A Chicago product liability lawyer can also help you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your case and assist you in filing your product liability lawsuit.
Contacting a Chicago Product Liability Lawyer
The Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C. have tried many cases like yours and know the best ways to express the degree of fault to the court. For a no-cost case evaluation and help preparing your evidence, contact us today – 312-263-1080.
