Parents to Sue Pushchair Maker

Pushchair manufacturer Maclaren is being sued by a group of 15 families who claim their children have been injured by faulty products.

The families allege that their children were injured when the tips of their fingers became trapped in the umbrella hinges on the pushchairs. Maclaren has recalled 1 million similar products in the USA after 12 children suffered severed fingertips. Despite contacting Maclaren about the accidents, some parents in the UK say they have not received a satisfactory reply.

One of the parents who wrote to the company, Liz Harmer, said that her daughter Olivia suffered an accident when she was just 15 months old. She had to have plastic surgery but still has a scar on her fingertip.

A paediatric consultant was concerned enough to write to Maclaren after he treated a child who had lost part of his little finger in a buggy hinge. It was only when the pushchair was examined in the hospital that the severed finger was found in the pushchair’s mechanism. The doctor suggested to Maclaren that the buggies should be redesigned.

Maclaren responded to complaints by offering owners of its pushchairs hinge covers free of charge, but parents say that this is not enough. They want recognition that the accidents were not their fault. The Baby Products Association, however, said that Maclaren’s products are compliant with European and British safety standards.

If you or someone you know has been injured by a faulty product then it may be possible to claim compensation. Consumers are afforded protection, under the Consumer Protection Act 1987, from purchases that are defective without it being necessary to demonstrate that the manufacturer was negligent.