Shopping Cart Injuries to Children

Falls from shopping carts account for the majority (70.4%) of pediatric injuries, followed by running into or falling over the cart, cart tip overs and entrapment of extremities in the cart. According to a recent study, the most commonly injured body part in a shopping cart accident is the head. Although shopping with your children can be a fun experience, especially when they are placed in the shopping carts, it can also be dangerous.

Head Injuries

The most dangerous kind of shopping cart injury is a blow to the head, caused by falling from the cart. The younger the child, the worse the head injury can be. Toddlers or preschoolers who are mobile can easily wriggle out of the cart, especially if the seatbelts are not properly fastened.

Pumpkin Seats

Many parents place baby carriers, or “pumpkin” car seats, on top of the seat portion of the cart – the place where an older child would sit. The practice is so ubiquitous that most parents are shocked to learn this is not safe. In fact, infant car seats often come with grooves that conveniently fit along the sides of the shopping cart seat edges, giving parents the impression that is the intended use.

The only safe place in a shopping cart for an infant in a car seat is in the larger compartment of the cart. While leaving the child strapped in his or her car seat gives parents the false impression of security, the car seat provides little to no protection to a child who falls from more than 4 feet on to his or her face.

A Southern California Shopping Cart Injury Attorney Can Fight For Your Child

Shopping carts can become old and defective. They can tip over, crush foot bones, mangle small fingers, slip on ice or wet pavement, knock out teeth, and run over children. While babies and toddlers are most frequently injured, older children are certainly not immune. In fact, the older the child, the more capable he is of climbing or tipping the cart over.

Although some shopping cart accidents may be caused by the recklessness of the child or parent, the majority of these accidents tend to be the result of carts in disrepair. Poorly maintained shopping carts can have broken parts, knife-sharp metal, chipped plastic and small pieces that can come off in a child’s hand or mouth, causing choking.

Call Us Today!

If your child was injured in a shopping cart accident, call the Law Offices of Samer Habbas at 888.848.5084 to schedule a free consultation with a Southern California shopping cart njury attorney.