If you think your kids are safe in high chairs, think again. We often fear for the safety of our kids out on the streets, but what about in your own homes? The evidence is alarming.
A new study has revealed that high chair and booster seat injuries are on the rise and that high chair injuries have risen 22 percent in the last decade. Indeed one child is injured every hour in a high chair in the United States, CBS reported, citing a hospital study.
High chairs are a necessity for parents with young children, but most don’t realize or think that these everyday items are dangerous for their young ones. The research showed that parents weren’t strapping their children into the high chairs which caused them to wiggle or crawl out and eventually fall. Babies can also slide downward in the highchair seat and be strangled when their heads are caught on the straps or waist belt.
Since 2011, there have been at least 11,300 high chair related injuries among children under the age of 5. On average, one child dies each year in a high chair accident.
You should never trust the equipment. Children should not be left unsupervised in high chairs.
Other injuries from high chairs may be caused by manufacturing issues. Some recalls have been made following reports of restraint bar failure. These plastic joints that can crack and cause the product to collapse; leg straps that can be pulled through enabling a child to fall, and some belt sets cannot be tightly secured. In 2008 and 2009, Evenflow a company that produces baby goods, recalled 185,000 units of high chairs due to insecure hardware.
Manufacturers can be sued for producing and distributing products with defects if an injury results from using the product. Products liability law is a form of personal injury law that holds a manufacturer, distributor or a retail merchant responsible for injuries caused by a defect. A manufacturer’s liability for a poorly designed or improperly made product applies to all types of products.
For more information on injuries that can happen every day in your home due to product malfunctions, visit the Cooper Hurley product liability page to learn more and how to pursue a claim if you have been injured by a faulty product. Visit the Cooper Hurley website or call today at (757) 333-3333 if you or a loved one has been injured.
