Boston Injury Lawyer Blog
At Altman & Altman, LLP, our Boston personal injury lawyers also represent the families of kids injured in non-traffic related Massachusetts car accidents that were caused by another negligent party, including incidents involving:
Backover Accidents
This type of car accident often occurs when a vehicle is backing out of a parking space or driveway. The motorist may not realize that a child is behind the car. According to KidsandCars.org, about 50 kids are involved in US backover incidents every week, resulting in about 48 injuries to minors and two deaths. Boston backover accidents are more likely to occur when there is a larger size vehicle involved, such as an SUV, van, or truck. The bigger size can make rear visibility harder for the driver.
Airbag Injuries
While an airbag supposed to protect vehicle occupants from serious injury in a car crash, this safety device can also cause serious injury should it malfunction. Accidental deployment when there isn’t a Boston car accident, airbag explosion during deployment (this can cause sharp particles to burst out and into an occupant), and failure by the airbag to deploy during a collision can cause serious bodily injury or even death.
Power Window Accidents
NHTSA says that over 1,000 kids are injured in power window accidents every year. Very young children are susceptible to accidentally leaning on or bumping into the power window’s activation switch, potentially causing serious self-injury because he/she has a finger or another body part hanging out the window. This can also happen if the window’s safety lock mechanism fails. Serious power window injuries may include amputation, brain injury, accidental asphyxia, and death.
Hyperthermia
KidsandCars.org reports that approximately 38 heatstroke child deaths in motor vehicles occur every year. It doesn’t take too long for the temperature inside a closed vehicle to jump to over 110 degrees.
Car Seat Defects/Malfunctions
Defects involving car seats can cause serious Boston injuries to a minor. Common child safety seat defects include poor construction, a faulty handle, flammable materials, harness defects, failure to meet federal safety requirements, sudden release, and base/shell separation. Sometimes, car seat defects/failures can cause injury rather than protect a child during a Massachusetts car accident. A child safety seat defect may even cause injury when there is no collision involved.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
More Blog Posts:
Child Left Alone for Hours on Cambridge, MA School Bus, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 12, 2013
First Boston Bus Accident Lawsuit Filed in Soldier Field Road Overpass Crash, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 16, 2013
UConn Student from Westminster, Massachusetts, Killed by Campus Shuttle Bus, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, March 23, 2011
