Should you replace your car seat after a crash?
Yes. The answer to this question – Should you replace your car seat after a crash – is almost always, yes. To know for sure, you can check in the instruction manual for your seat. If you no longer have the manual, look online to see if the manufacturer provided a copy on its website, or contact the company directly. However, the safe bet is to replace the seat. A car seat is often the difference between mild and major injury in a collision. So you want to have a good one.
But the car seat looks okay?
The child’s seat may look unharmed from the outside, and perhaps the motor vehicle collision felt minor, but there can still be damage inside the car seat. The seat is designed to protect your child. And sometimes allowing the seat itself to be broken is the best way to keep a child safe. Therefore, even a fender-bender can be an issue. You do not want to guess when it comes to your child’s safety and well-being.
How to get a car seat reimbursed by insurance.
If you have been involved in a collision, follow these steps to get a new, safe car seat for your child:
- Take photos of the damaged seat.
- Contact your auto insurance carrier.
- Ask which new seats will be approved for reimbursement.
- Keep the receipt for the new seat to show proof of purchase/amount.
If you or other members of your family were injured, you can hire a personal injury attorney to represent you. A lawyer can also help with the car seat reimbursement as well as other property damage claims.
Other information to keep my child safe.
You should always use and install child car seats correctly. This means using the right size seat for your child. You must install the seat correctly. And you must put the child in the seat the right way every time. EVERY TIME.
Contact your local police station or fire department if you need help installing the seat properly. And remember that children are safer in the back seat. Never allow a young child to ride in the front seat.
Here is a video (admittedly from a decade ago, but the physics still apply) that demonstrates child car safety. Watch here:
Call a lawyer right away if you have been injured in a crash. If your child has been injured, they might also have a claim. You should contact a lawyer for your child also. Minors have until their 18th birthday plus two years to bring a claim in Pennsylvania. However, you should not wait until the statute of limitations approaches. Instead, call a personal injury firm right away. This insures that the lawyer can preserve evidence for the claim. There is no benefit to waiting.
If you have questions or would like to speak with a personal injury attorney, contact us for a FREE CONSULTATION. 610-933-3333