Replacing Child Car Seats After Accidents

Child Passenger Accidents

The National Traffic Highway & Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends replacing child car seats after accidents to ensure continued safety for child passengers.

Car seats come with special locking mechanisms in their seat belts that are designed to safely restrain infants and children. However, when the safety mechanism has been stressed, the mechanism may fail to protect the child in a second car accident.
 
Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death amongst children in the US. In 2016, 723 children, ages 12 and younger, died in a motor vehicle crash and 128,000 were injured. With the amount of fatal accidents in children, it is recommended that parents or guardians take extra measures to make sure their child’s restraint seat is safe for travel.
 

Replacing Child Car Seats After Accidents

NHTSA recommends that child safety seats and boosters be replaced following a moderate or major car crash, regardless if they were in use at the time of crash. After being involved in a minor car crash, here are a few things to consider if replacing child car seats after accidents is best in your situation:

• The vehicle was able to be driven away from crash site
• Speed of impact was minor
• The vehicle door nearest the safety seat have no visible damages
• No injuries were sustained by any of the other occupants
• Airbags didn’t deploy during the accident
• No visible damages to the vehicle

 

Who Pays for the Damaged Car Seat or Booster?

Replacing child car seats after accidents is a very common practice that an insurance company will reimburse you for. There are a couple ways that a car seat or booster seat can be replaced. If the accident was not your fault, the at-fault party’s insurance claims representative will be able to set you up with a new replacement seat.
 
If the accident was your fault however, you must speak to your insurance claims representative to see if your insurance coverage allows such replacement after an accident. This means that if you only carry the state’s required liability insurance, you cannot replace a car seat through your own coverage.
 

Contact An Experienced Accident Attorney

If you or a child occupant have suffered injuries as a result of a car accident, contact the experienced accident attorneys at Sweet Lawyers today. With over 40 years of experience in the legal field, we know what it takes to achieve the justice and compensation you deserve. Call (800) 203-3061, for a free, no-obligation consultation today!