September 25, 2011

Every Year In America More Than A Quarter Of A Million Children Will Be Injured In A Car Accident And Thousands Will Be Killed Due To The Negligence Of Others, The Majority Due To The Negligence or Failure of A Parent

The National Center for Statistics Analysis indicated that over a quarter of a million children are injured every year in car accidents which means that over 700 are injured every day while traveling on the roadways of America. Thousands of children are killed as a result of their failure to use a seat belt, seat belt malfunction, or the improper installation and usage of a child safety seat. Many times catastrophic injuries and deaths are caused by defectively designed or manufactured child safety seats despite all of the proper precautions being taken by responsible parents. The week of September 24th has been designated as National Child Passenger Safety Week, and many organizations such as AAA and local police and fire departments are offering safety seat and seat belt checkpoints.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer for over 30 years who has also investigated and litigated many seat belt defect and child car seat defect claims, it is important that parents perform due diligence prior to purchasing and using a child safety seat. All children should remain in a child safety seat or booster seat until age 8 or older unless they are 4'9" tall. Statistics indicate that 4 out of 5 children age 6 to 8 who were killed in car crashes were improperly restrained or not belted at all according to a AAA study. In almost all auto seat defect cases, the manufacturers will claim that most parents improperly installed the seat and did not follow the manufacturers instructions. Unfortunately many times, sadly this is the case, and safety must never be an option whether it be by manufacturers of infant seats or by parents who take shortcuts in securing their children. Most car accidents occur 5 minutes from the home and all too often parents don’t give a second thought that their child seat may not be properly installed.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a child seat accident, it pays to have a careful and detailed investigation of the facts to determine who is or may be responsible for resulting catastrophic injuries or wrongful death. The defective child seat and Philadelphia car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily has been litigating car accidents involving catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths to children and defective child seats for over three decades and has recently joined forces with the Beasley Firm to create the Beasley Reiff Law Group. Together our skilled auto product liability and defective child seat lawyers have recovered billions of dollars on behalf of thousands of injured victims and their families since 1958. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation. For more information, contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

October 13, 2010

The Dangerous Rear Seat Lap Belt Situation Claims Yet Another Life

A 7-year-old Georgia boy was killed sitting in the back seat of a Honda Civic only wearing a lap belt. An 8-year-old boy sitting next to him in the back seat of the Honda Civic was not seriously injured at all. He was wearing a lap and shoulder belt. Unfortunately, millions of cars only have a lap belt in the middle of the back seat. Evidence has shown that the lap belt seat belt is not sufficient to fully protect you in a crash.

The Pennsylvania lap belt accident and automotive defect law firm of Reiff & Bily has been investigating lap belt cases for many years and safety experts and automobile manufacturers are well aware of the dangers of the lap belt. A common type of injury from the use of a lap belt only is a fracture of the lower spine which can cause paralysis from the waist down as the person’s upper body is thrown forward. When the lap belt restraint fails, often the victim suffers devastating, permanent, and life-altering injuries including paralysis and other mental and emotional injuries.

As experienced Pennsylvania vehicle defect lawyers, we are well aware that the negligent and defective design of the lap belt restraint system and the negligent failure to warn often results in catastrophic injury and wrongful death to unsuspecting victims. Many doctors and safety experts have warned that children’s lives are unnecessarily put at risk by the use of lap belts in the back seats of cars. In fact, lap belts in the rear seat may actually cause more significant injuries than they prevent according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

If you or a loved one is a victim of catastrophic injuries or wrongful death while using a lap belt, you should contact an experienced lap belt accident lawyer to fully investigate your case and to hold the parties responsible for the damages. The Pennsylvania vehicle defect lawyers of Reiff & Bily offers a free, no obligation consultation. You may contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.