CHILD CAR SEAT & SEAT BELT RELATED INJURIES
Recent safe driving and state safety laws has alerted the general public and parents to the importance of using car seats for their small children whenever and wherever they are driving. As this use of car seats and infant seats is on the rise, so is the rise of car seat , seat belt related injuries and deaths of children in child safety seats. Despite numerous campaigns to promote the use of safety belts and car seats, and despite child occupant protection laws in every state, motor vehicle crashes continue to kill and seriously injure children at an alarming rate. Each year approximately 1,800 children ages 14 and under are killed as occupants in motor vehicle accidents and wrecks, and more than 280,000 are injured .While car accidents can be dangerous for all passengers, infants and small children are especially at risk, due to their small and weak muscles and bones structure that help protect adults. The weight of the head of a child makes the cervical spine much more vulnerable to spinal cord injuries and head traumas. An infant has little control in the muscles of the neck, and the head can bounce from side to side and fall forward, which can cause serious spine and neck injuries. Ejections from the car seat and even the vehicle itself can occur if the seat belt buckle of either the vehicle or car seat comes unlatched during auto wreck collision or rollover accident. In other cases the infant may be injured as a result of intrusion from another vehicle due to other defects in the design or crashworthiness of the vehicle itself. If a child is seriously injured, then all possible angles need to be investigated and explored by the attorney.
Seat Belts & Car Seat Installation Problems
Car seats, when correctly installed and used, are extremely effective in saving children's lives, reducing injuries and lowering the risk of death by as much as 71 percent for infants in properly fitted and correctly installed car and infant seats. However, theses child restraints and the manufacturer's directions can be confusing and complicated to understand. This is one of the reasons many installation errors are made.
Recent studies however have found that as many as 4 out of 5 car seats are not installed or used correctly. Some of the common errors include: too loose of the vehicle's seat belt holding the car seat, car seat harness straps not tight or correctly routed into the proper position, the retaining clip not adjusted properly, the seat belt buckle not buckled and the car seat or infant seat in use has been recalled. Other factors include the difficulty of using seats correctly include a variety of age and size requirements, incompatibility between car seat and vehicle design, improper seating position and gaps in child occupant protection laws.
Is the Car Seat or Auto Manufacturer Liable for My Child's Injuries ?
 When a child is injured as a result of the vehicle design, car seat design or any defective part of the car seat, then the parents of that child may be able to hold the vehicle manufacturer, car seat manufacturer liable or responsible for the negligent design and manufacturing defects of the car seat and seatbelt safety system. If you believe that your child was injured by a badly designed car or infant seat or that the car seat caused your child to have a more serious injuries or new or enhanced injuries that they should not have incurred in the car accident, then you may have a legal claim. Click here for a Free Case Evaluation to determine if you may have a legal claim for damages for your child's injuries. Call us Toll Free 1-800-883-9858 or Contact Us Online
PLEASE NOTE: The statements and information provided on this web site are for the informational purposes only. This law firm is not affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of any trademarks on this site is for product identification and information purposes only. This webpage is provided to you to assist in information about seat belt injuries, seatbelt deaths, seat belt defects, rear seat or center seat lap only belt injury, lawsuits, seat belt buckle failure, buckle opening, NHTSA recall, torn webbing, seat belt recalls, seatbelt retractors, plastic buckle housing defects, problems with the tall end release buttons on the Generation 3 or Gen 3 seat belt buckle button on some Chrysler vehicles, lap belt injury, excessive slack in belt webbing, automatic belt injuries,and other seat belt defects and failures.This site is not intended to provide legal advice to the reader and NO attorney-client relationship shall be deemed to arise from the receipt this page and/or its associated pages or any oral or e-mail communication to or from with the Willis Law Firm. There will be NO lawsuits filed, claims made, letters or phone calls made for a prospective client, until that person is represented by the firm. An attorney client relationship only arises after the attorney and client have signed a written attorney client contract.
Mr. Willis is licensed attorney in New York and Texas. He is a Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Lawyer, certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Read more about Board Certification, Click Here. Principle office is Houston, Texas.
Mr. Willis has represented clients in personal injury, auto accident, seat belt defects, suv rollover, van & truck rollovers and other product liability and negligence cases from across the United States, including clients from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin & West Virginia.
Further, any statement or reference to past personal injury, products liability or other lawsuits, settlements or verdicts should NOT be relied upon in one's own case or in your decision on which law firm to hire. All client's cases, facts, injuries, damages, venues and lawsuits are different and there is NO way to predict the outcome of a particular case, verdict of a jury or judge or the strength of a case before a judge, jury or the appellate court system. The client is responsible for all of their own medical expenses. All cases are handled on a contingent fee basis. NO attorneys fees or case costs charged to client, unless a recovery is made for the client. Often in very serious and catastrophic injury and death cases Mr. Willis may associate with another products liability attorney as co-counsel and in other matters, the case may be referred. In cases where a legal matter is referred, Mr. Willis will continue to maintain joint responsibility with the handling attorney or lead counsel and actively monitor the progress and development of the case. Due to his 22+ years of experience in personal injury and products liability cases, Mr. Willis will often continue to assist in working with the hired experts and engineers and in research of the defective product or other related legal matters in the case.
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