Booster seat lawsuits and class actions have been filed by parents who say they were misled by “meaningless safety tests,” especially for kids under 40 pounds.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting booster seat induced injury cases in all 50 states. If your child or somebody you know has been injured in a booster seat, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Diono Recalls Booster Seats for Injury Risk
In March 2021, Diono recalled nearly 7,000 Cambria 2 Booster Seats because the headrest can separate in a crash and fail to protect a child from injury.
Lawmakers Accuse Booster Seat-Makers of “Meaningless Safety Testing”
In December 2020, lawmakers released a shocking report accusing booster seat manufacturers of profiting by using “misleading claims, meaningless safety testing, and unsafe recommendations to parents about when they can transition their children from car seats to booster seats.”
Congressional Investigation Raises Safety Concerns
What Booster Seat Manufacturers Are Accused in the Report?
The accusations involve 7 of the largest booster seat manufacturers in the U.S., including:
- Artsana (seller of Chicco brand)
- Chicco
- Baby Trend
- Britax
- Dorel (sold under Maxi-Cosi and Safety 1st brand-names)
- Evenflo
- Graco
- KidsEmbrace
Did You Buy Any of These Booster Seats?
- Baby Trend PROtect Yumi Folding Booster Seat
- Baby Trend PROtect Yumi 2-in-1 Booster Seat
- Baby Trend Protect 2-in-1 Booster Seat (Target)
- Chicco KidFit Zip (Artsana)
- Chicco KidFit 2-in-1 (Artsana)
- Britax Highpoint
- Britax Midpoint
- Britax Skyline
- Britax Parkway
- Maxi-Cosi Rodi AP (Dorel)
- Maxi-Cosi Rodifix (Dorel)
- Safety 1st Boost Air 100 (Dorel)
What is the Problem?
In the alarming Congressional Report on Booster Seat Safety, investigators found that manufacturers knew that booster seats were unsafe for kids under 40 pounds, but they continued to advertise their booster seats as “safe” for 30-pound children. They also misled thousands of families with “meaningless claims about their side-impact testing,” according to the report.
Who Decides if a Booster Seat Is Safe?
Booster seat weight limits, size recommendations, and standards for side-impact testing are not regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Instead, booster seat manufacturers are allowed to set their own rules, and decide what “passes” or “fails.”
Side-Impact Test Standards Are So Low, They Pass Every Time
Booster seats are commonly advertised as being “side-impact tested,” so most parents assume that the seat meets some sort of federal standard for safety.
Instead, critics say these safety claims are meaningless because the manufacturers have created their own weak tests, and made the standards so low that the booster seats pass every time — even when crashes would lead to catastrophic injuries or deaths.
Evenflo Big Kid Booster Seat
Multiple lawsuits were filed against Evenflo by parents of children who were severely injured in the Big Kid booster seat. These lawsuits were prompted after horrifying crash-test videos were released publicly as part of lawsuits from children who were paralyzed.
Many lawsuits were also filed after an investigative report by ProPublica questioned why the Big Kid booster seat was advertised as “safe” for children who only weight 30 pounds. In Canada, Big Kid booster have a label warning parents that children under 40 pounds risk “SERIOUS INJURY or DEATH” in the seat.
Evenflo Booster Seat Class Action Lawsuit Filed in California
In February 2020, a class action lawsuit demanded a refund for everyone in California who bought an Evenflo Big Kid Booster Seat based on false advertising about side-impact safety tests. The plaintiff, Mike X., said he never would have bought the booster seats for his twin children, who were only 3 years old and weighed just 30 pounds.
The Booster Seat Class Action Lawsuit was filed on February 24, 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio — Case Number 3:20-CV-00053.
Can I Join a Class Action?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm, but we are not filing a booster seat class action lawsuit. Instead, we are filing individual lawsuits for children who were injured or died in crashes due to a booster seat that failed to keep them safe.
About Class Actions
Class actions are useful in certain circumstances, such as when a lot of people are seeking refunds. The class action is filed by a “class representative” on behalf of everyone else with a similar legal claim.
Why Our Law Firm is Filing Individual Lawsuits as Opposed to a Class Action
The problem with class actions is that everyone who joins the lawsuit gets to share the payout. Our lawyers are filing individual booster seat lawsuits so that we can focus on maximizing compensation for our clients. If you decide to file a booster seat lawsuit, we may be able to help you recover financial compensation for your child’s pain and suffering, medical expenses, permanent disabilities, or wrongful death.
Do I have a Booster Seat Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting booster seat induced injury cases in all 50 states. If your child or somebody you know has been injured in a booster seat, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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