Your children are precious. However, they are also extremely vulnerable. They rely on you to provide them with healthy food, a secure environment, and safe toys and products. While you can do extensive research on products and services, there is always some risk associated with everything your child touches.
High chairs can be especially dangerous because they hold your child high above the ground. Balance problems, faulty restraints or legs, and even inferior materials can result in injuries or even death for your child. Roughly 9,400 children are harmed in high chair accidents every year. Head injuries are the most common injury associated with high chair falls.
When a high chair fall is due to a defective product, you may have a legal claim. If your baby fell from a high chair in California, our personal injury lawyer at California Injury Attorneys Group is here for you. Our team never charges any legal fees unless we successfully settle or win your case. For a complimentary case evaluation, call 1-800-208-3538.
Causes of High Chair Injuries
Parents expect high chairs to be stable and functional. However, when high chairs are poorly designed, they can become a hazard instead of a safe, sturdy means to feed your child.
High chair injuries can occur in several ways including:
- Unbalanced legs cause the high chair to tip over
- Poor or faulty restraint mechanisms
- Improper locking methods cause the chair to collapse or fall over
Children sometimes move quite a bit in their high chair. When the chair is unstable, the baby’s movement can lead to tipping the chair over or chair collapse. Incidents often involve the frame of the chair, the seat itself, or the restraint system. The frame is by far the most troublesome area that results in a high chair injury.
Laws and Standards Regarding High Chair Safety
Federal standards dictate that all high chairs must meet specific safety requirements. Every high chair must undergo certain testing to be approved to sell to your family. For example, a high chair cannot tip over when pulled every direction by a certain level of force. This type of testing is intended to mimic weight changes that occur when a baby leans in his or her high chair. The manufacturer is often required to not only ensure that their product meets these obligations, but they may need to do their own testing as well.
Every high chair is also required to comply with specific warning and labeling requirements as well. Warnings that indicate children should not be left alone in the chair, for example, must be included on every high chair sold in the United States.
When manufacturers fail to meet these obligations, they not only put your child at risk, they also open themselves up to legal liability based on a defective product or deficient warning. In fact, there are situations where the manufacturer or design met their legal obligations, and they may still be liable to you and your family for damages after a high chair accident. If your child’s seat is subject to a high chair recall, that may increase your likelihood of having a viable legal claim.
Get Legal Help with a Free Case Evaluation from California Personal Injury Attorneys: Johnson Attorneys Group
If you live in California and your child has been injured because a high chair tipped over, you may have a legal claim. Contact the team at Johnson Attorneys Group to schedule your free case evaluation today. We conveniently have 12 locations across California to serve you.
