Parents and other caregivers strive daily to keep their children as safe as possible. Sometimes they fail to do so, not because of any mistake they made, but because a product they relied upon did not function as it should have. When that happens and a child suffers significant harm, the manufacturer should be held to account for putting an unsafe product on the market. If your child has been hurt by a defective product, a knowledgeable Oregon child injury lawyer can provide you with essential information, advice, and advocacy to guide you through the process of seeking justice through civil litigation.
One place where a child is most exposed to potential death or serious injury is riding in a car, truck, or SUV. Advances in car seat manufacturing have made kids safer than previous generations. Nevertheless, potential problems still arise that may place children at unreasonable risks when they ride down the road. Child car seats, like any product, are an item where the development of new technology sometimes comes with new flaws and new hazards. Evenflo recently developed a car seat that rotates on its base, allowing a caregiver the opportunity to place the child in the seat while the child faces outward, and then rotate the seat into the proper position for travel.
Currently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating that car seat after receiving nearly 20 complaints about it. The agency indicated in its investigation summary that the product “appears not to comply with a number of” requirements. The summary also said the agency was “aware of at least six crash incidents in the field during which the [seat’s] shell… reportedly separated from its detachable base.” In other words, the seat broke free from its base while it was still supposed to be locked.
No recalls for the car seat exist as of this publication.
LATCH System Defects
Even the safest car seat will not properly protect a child if the vehicle to which it is attached is defective. Last month, Jeep announced a recall of some 2024 Grand Cherokee L SUVs due to a flaw that could place young passengers at risk. According to Kelley Blue Book, a welding machine may have malfunctioned on certain dates, potentially resulting in the affected LATCH seat anchors being insufficiently welded to the SUV’s seat frame, thus making them susceptible to breakage. The recall covers only Grand Cherokee L vehicles manufactured on the specific dates of the potential malfunction.
LATCH, in this context, refers to the “Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children” system. The system is designed to enhance child safety by making it easier for caregivers to install a car seat base correctly as compared to bases that rely only on the vehicle’s seat belts. The LATCH system uses a series of straps (that are built into the seat’s base) to hook onto metal anchors that are welded into the vehicle itself. If an anchor fails, the seat could break free and expose the child to serious injury or death, even if the caregiver installed the base correctly and the child was under the seat manufacturer’s stated weight limit.
Child Safety Door Locks
Another important element of child safety in vehicles is door locks. Earlier this year, potentially defective child safety locks were the subject of a Ford recall. An investigation revealed that some four-door Bronco vehicles had a defect in which the child safety lock on the driver-side rear door was non-functional. The potentially affected vehicles are model year 2023 and 2024 Broncos made in November and December 2023.
Parents and caregivers rely on dozens of manufactured products every day to make their lives – and the lives of their children – better. When those products do not help but rather hurt children, those injuries are often the result of negligence on the part of those who made the product – in the product’s design, manufacturing, testing, or inspection. If that sort of harm has impacted your family, get in touch with the experienced Oregon child injury attorneys at Kaplan Law LLC. Our mission is to help those hurt by defective products and to hold accountable those who put that dangerous item on the market. To learn more, call (503) 226-3844 today or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.