MacLaren Pushchairs pays out compensation after child accident claim
Pushchair manufacturer McLaren has agreed to compensate over 40 British children who were injured by their bestselling fold-up pushchair.
When the story hit the media last year, it caused an outcry among parents. The pushchair company MacLaren were forced to recall 1 million buggies in the US, and offer free hinge guards to owners of the defective pushchairs in the UK.
For some children these measures were too late, and many children were badly injured by the faulty pushchairs. Most of the injuries involved the children’s fingers – many children had their finger ends sliced off in the hinges of the folding pushchairs.
Several children needed skin grafts or amputations following their pushchair injury. All of the children – who were aged between 2 and 8 – suffered deep cuts and scarring. Many have been told they will suffer lifelong complications as a result of the injury – including arthritis, numbness of the fingers and a partial loss of hand movement.
Child Accident Claim
Over 40 parents formed a group and made a child accident claim to win compensation for their injured children.
MacLaren has refused to admit liability, but has agreed to pay full damages. The payments range from £2,500 to £10,000 – with the most severely injured children receiving the highest damages. The money will be invested for the children until they turn 18.
Richard Langton, who led the case against MacLaren, said that the damage settlements were “good news” for the children and their families. But he also expressed concern over Maclaren’s refusal to recall some of their products, as they did in the US:
“Compensation doesn’t turn the clock back for the traumatised children or their parents….manufacturers need to know there is a serious issue which must be addressed with more decisive action. It is time the authorities stepped in and did something here as they did in America.”
In a statement to the media, a MacLaren spokeswoman said: ” …We take the safety of children very seriously. We have sold more than a million buggies in the past decade in the UK and have only had around 100 complaints. We feel this issue affects the whole industry and not just MacLaren.”
More Claims to Come?
Parents across the UK will be heartened to see MacLaren compensating the injured children- and acknowledging the suffering of the youngsters and their families. The company’s refusal to accept liability or remove any products from the UK market may result in more parents making a child accident claim against MacLaren.