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[/profileleft]Two of the most important things that expecting parents purchase are a stroller and a car carrier. New parents tend to look to save some money here and there when a child is on the way. Anyone who has had a child knows that this can quickly become expensive. However, the stroller and the car carrier are two items that parents will invest in fully. Strollers and carriers exist in large part to protect the safety of infants and children. Sadly, that may not be what’s happening based on the results of a recent study. The study delved into the prevalence of car carrier and stroller injuries in the United States, and the results were extremely surprising. Parents should be aware of this issue. This awareness may help some take necessary steps to minimize the chance that their child will be harmed.
About the Car Carrier and Stroller Injuries Study
Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, completed the study. They reviewed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Specifically, they analyzed data involving children who were 5 years old or younger. Parents brought these children to emergency rooms between 1990 and 2010 in the United States. They were admitted because of injuries suffered that were associated with the use of a stroller or a car carrier.
The researchers found the following:
- Approximately 360,000 children and infants were admitted to emergency rooms for this purpose during this timeframe.
- That equates to more than 17,000 admissions per year.
- More than 52 percent of admissions were male.
- Trauma to the head was the most common form of injury.
- Nearly 35 percent of patients admitted were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries or concussions.
- The most common reason for admissions was because of tip-overs or falls from the stroller/carrier.
Those interested in reading the study’s abstract can find it here.
Traumatic Brain Injuries in Children
One of the most surprising findings in this study regards the number of traumatic brain injuries that children suffered. According to these data, more than 125,000 children suffered a traumatic brain injury/concussion during these 20 years. That comes to more than 500 traumatic brain injuries every month and more than 17 traumatic brain injuries every day. While the study did state that the number of overall car carrier and stroller injuries dropped during this timeframe, that’s still an enormous number of children and infants who suffered significant harm.
Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
The study does not go on to attempt to pinpoint how these tip-overs or fall-outs occurred. Parents should realize, however, that simply placing a child in a stroller or a car carrier far from guarantees their safety. As such, parents should continue to be as vigilant as ever when a child is in one of these items. Those whose children may have been injured because of a defective stroller or car carrier should also take steps to analyze their legal rights. If this has happened to you or someone you love, contact the traumatic brain injury lawyers at Gomez Trial Attorneys as soon as possible to schedule a free initial consultation.
