Child Injured from a Shopping Cart: Can I Sue?
Shopping carts are not safe for children. In fact, the Clinical Pediatrics journal estimates that there are 24,000 children injured each year because of them. Despite the warnings and significant improvements to cart safety, children are still injured.
What Causes the Injuries?
The study released by the Clinical Pediatrics group states that the safety standards being used for shopping carts is not enough to prevent injury. They state that there is an estimated 66 children injured and sent to emergency rooms each day because of shopping carts.
The safety standards for shopping carts are voluntary. And, while the request for safer carts was implemented over 10 years ago, the number of injuries has not decreased. Most of these accidents are preventable and include:
- 70% involve children falling out of the cart
- 8% involve children being run over by the cart
- 6% involve shopping carts being tipped over
- 6% involve children being trapped in a shopping cart
While parents should watch out for their children while using shopping carts, studies state that manufacturers should be altering their design to make these carts safer. Some design changes being proposed include changing the child seat location and making it closer to the ground, and also providing ample storage in the cart as well as encouraging grocery stores to only use carts that have safety harnesses.
My Child Was Injured From a Shopping Cart: What Can I Do?
If your child was injured because of a shopping cart, you do have options.
Because the store has these shopping carts on their premise and it is likely your child was injured on the store’s property, you will need to notify the store of the injury. A store is responsible for making sure their property is safe for their patrons and they must also make sure their shopping carts are safe. If a cart is faulty and causes injury, then the store owner is required to remove that cart from the store to prevent another person from being injured.
You may also have a case against the shopping cart manufacturer, especially if the cart was defective or featured an unsafe design.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
If your child was injured because of a shopping cart, then you need to speak to a personal injury attorney. The attorneys at Glotzer&Kobren will meet with you for free during your initial consultation. In these types of cases, there are often multiple parties held responsible for your child’s injuries and you have the right to a proper and fair settlement.
Contact us now to schedule your free consultation.
If you or a loved one is injured in an accident, contact Best Personal Injury Lawyer Boca Raton at Glotzer & Kobren, P.A. at 561-361-8677 to discuss your rights. Serving Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach & throughout Florida.
