Even a relatively minor car crash can cause you a host of expenses you did not calculate on making. For instance, you might need to pay for medical attention and medicines and for repairs to your vehicle. You might need time off work to deal with things or recover.
It is understandable if you are left wondering whether you need to replace your child’s car seat on top of those other expenses — or whether it is okay to keep using the one you have.
Only consider keeping it in select circumstances
The NHTSA lays things out clearly. It says that if there is any doubt, you should replace the seat. They recommend that the only time you should consider keeping the seat is if all of the following five things were true for the crash:
- It was possible to drive the vehicle away from the crash site
- The vehicle door nearest the car seat was undamaged
- None of the passengers was injured in the crash
- None of the airbags in the vehicle deployed during the crash
- The child’s car seat shows no visible signs of damage
If so much as one of those things is untrue, then the NHTSA says you should definitely replace the seat. Remember, child car seats are designed to absorb damage internally in the event of a collision, so a seat that looks fine could have suffered serious structural damage, which means it won’t work to save your child if you ever have a crash again, which is always a possibility.
Learning more about how to build a claim for adequate compensation can help you avoid additional expenses related to the wreck.