Got in a Car Accident-should I Replace the Car Seats?

the research says you definitely have to replace the car seats. They are compromised now, after an accident.
Britax gets best ratings in Consumer Reports.
Good luck.
P

YES! It is law to replace them, regardless if you see damage or not. You have no idea if there is internal damage. I have AAA and they automatically sent out $75 for each seat, right off the bat. Then when I bought the Britax Marathons, they paid the difference of the cost. (I am sure there are many people that don't bother replacing the seats, so I agree with the receipt thing). Also, please keep in mind to properly dispose of your old seats. Maybe doing it over a few weeks of trash cycles. They suggest cutting all straps, in one trash. Then the covers in another, foam, base etc... There are many people who dig these out of the trash and then use, not thinking about the reason they may be in the trash in the first place. Hope you are all feeling better.

Hi T., YES, you should replace your car seats. My brother is a CHP Sgt who did car seat instruction and installation for several years...I was involved in an accident that literally was a 15 mph impact and he told me I needed to replace my seat. He said the mechanisms that provide the safety can be compromised once they have been "activated" in an accident. Anyway, I know it can be expensive and a hassle, but well worth it. I hope this helps. As far as what type of seats, you might want to look into the kind of seats that accomodate infants and toddlers...i think they call them convertible seats or something like that. I know Britax has some cuz I have one, but it's still a personal choice. Anyway, good luck and I hope this helps. Blessings, R.

Same thing happened to me, although my van was totaled and the airbags did deploy. In any case, I found out that by law, your insurance has to purchase new car seats for your children,regardless of who was at fault and regardless of how severe the accident was. All you have to do is turn in your receipts and they reimburse you for them. My insurance (State Farm) didn't ask any questions, just sent a check - the next day. So I would say call your insurance and then buy whatever car seat accomodates your kids now. And you have to cut the straps on your old seats and throw them away, just in case they were affected, you don't want anyone else putting their kids in a defective seat.

Glsd you are all okay! It sort of changed my perspective on things.

It is the law your insurance carrier replace the car seats.

Hi T.,

I am in agreement witht he rest of the ladies. I have also been i n the same situation. The carseats must be replaced by law and the responsible parties insurance company has to replace them. Britax Marathon carseats are the best. But, the insurance co. may only repalce what you alrdeady have. Good luck. hope your back feels better.

Hey T.! Sorry to hear about the accident, I was going to call you but thought this article might give some advice about the car seats
http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Gear/When-Your-Car-...

T.,
By law, you must throw the car seats away. May not be used again or resold! Car isnurance, if you have it, may replace them.

A. G

I agree with Shiela, if insurance will pay to replace it, then do so! However- I recently (2 or 3 month ago) heard a report that said if the airbags do not deploy, and the crash had an impact of (I believe) less than 20 miles an hour, the existing car seats are okay. 20 mph impact means both cars where traveling in different directions at a speed of 10 or more miles per hour, or same direction, one car was at least going 20 mph faster than the other, like you at 30, them at 50.

If you do choose to buy new seats, I would HIGHLY recommend the Britax Regent. For the 7 month old, you need to wait until he is 1, but the Regent uses 5 pt harness to 80 lbs. If I were going to buy the Regent in a few months, I would use a $50 cheapy convertable until then. I am due in November, and have a 3 1/2 year old now. My son had the Regent, but for this one we will buy the buy the Britax Boulevard. (It goes from birth to 65lbs.) Buy the time this baby out grows the Boulevard, DS will have LONG been out of the Regent, so this baby will "inhert" the Regent.

HI! I actually was in an accident with both of my kids in the car. My insurance company told me that I am required to get new car seats because they are no longer considered safe. They even reimbursed me the purchase price of them both. Contact your insurance company and see if they'll do the same.

Yes, you should definitely get the carseats replaced. In fact, I would talk to your insurance agent as the cost to replace the may be covered. I was recently in a minor accident and my claims adjuster told me that I needed to replace the carseat and to send them the receipt or reimbursement. As for the carseat for your seven month old, there are some convertible ones that can be placed rear facing and then be turned around at 12months.

When someone hit me recently their insurance company paid for two new carseats. They basically paid $100 per seat plus tax. I got them both Britax. They are 4 and 5 years old though.

I'm paranoid, so I would. You never know what kind of impact it had on the seats until you take it apart. Why take the chance? For peace of mind too. I've always looked to the "Baby Bargains" (It's by Denise Fields and her husband, I believe) book for advice on safety and consumer items for babies/toddlers. They say that the Britax Convertible seats are highly rated as safe. It's great for infants as rear facing and when you turn the seat to face forward also. We have the Britax Roundabout for our 9 month old. The Britax Marathon is great too, but it's too big (tall & wide) for our Camry, though it would be fine in a van. You'll want to check out the dimensions to see if it's feasible in your SUV. Good Luck!

My daughter was like your 7 month son... she's almost 2 now. the best carseat i can suggest is the alpha omega elite 3in1 carseat... you can get 2 of them... since you can even use it from an infant upto 100 pounds believe it or not. It's so confortable.. and so cushiony... and for your older son you can take some of the cushions out to make it even more roomy. it even has cupholders... and not to expensive... we were going to get the britax one that was almost 3 hundred... but liked this one much better anyway. We bought it at babies r us... here's a link

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2401317

Yes, you should replace the car seats. Contact your auto insurance co. they will normally replace the car seats for you.

A friend of mine was in a car accident with her toddler. The insurance company TOOK the car seat, told her that once in an accident they shouldn't be used again, and PAID for its replacement. I think you should talk to your insurance company. Good luck! (And thank goodness everyone is safe!)

I believe insurance should cover the replacement. I LOVE my Britax seat and it can do forward and rear facing! It's the easiest thing ever!!

If you are going through car insurance, the insurance company is required by California law to pay you to replace your car seats, simply for the fact that that they were in the car during a collision. They may only give you partial value, or they may tell you to submit your receipts for the new car seats that you purchase and reimburse you all or some of the money. Either way, they are supposed to collect your old car seats from you, so that they can be properly disposed of. Not all claim adjusters know about this policy or remember to advise you of it, but if you press, they will have to research it and find out. I worked for State Farm for 18 years. Hope this helps!

Did the police come take a report? If your kids were in the seat, you definitely get new seats! And to be safe, I would be sure that each of you sees or talks to a doctor about the accident. CHildren are resilient enough but don't risk their safety and well being! Any of you may have sufered an injury that is not truly apparent from the surface. Please call or see a doctor right away to be safe.
To my knowledge it should be covered by the "at fault" driver's insurance and/or even your insurance. The/your insurance co. should address that with you and you should make sure to inform the insurance carrier. For your sake I hope the other party had insurance if it was their fault!
I had been rear ended at a stop light (on my way to pick up my kids they were not in my car at the time!). Even the responding police officer told me I could get new car seats due to the accident. I later found out that becasue they were not in the seats at the time it was not fully warranted to get new seats.
IF a child is in the seat at the time of an accident there is no telling what kind of damage could have compromised the seat(s). The insurance co. should give you the $$$ to get new seats. Be sure the Insurance co. knows the kids were in the seats and of ANY kind of injury or pain!!!!!
Please be safe and God Bless!
-L

Hi T.,

I don't know a lot about this, but I think a valuable resource to you might be your local fire department . They are trained in proper installation, etc. They will probably know what to look for. As well, they may be able to tell you right off whether there is a rule of thumb such as "Always replace them" or whether injuries due to impact play a role.If nothing else,they may be able to refer you. Good luck to you.

-I.

Hi T.. There was a new law that was passed and if your carseats were in the car during the accident, you must report it to your insurance company and they MUST replace it at NO COST to you! Hope this helps!

YES for sure! This should be covered in your losses and usually insurance will automatically ask you.
Sorry about your accident that is scary! I hope you feel better!

Hi T.,

Actually, I believe it's California law (which is great because not all states have this rule) that ANY car seat involved in an accident, must be replaced. So your insurance company will ask you what kinds you had and give you the money to cover the same cost, I think. So even if there is no "visible" damage to the car seat, they get worried that there might be structural compromise to the car seats that could weaken them if you get into another mishap later.

I was in 2 minor accidents with my son once (the car had to be towed), and then another time later with both of my kids after my daughter was born (just minor fender bender, but still had a police report), and had to replace their car seats every time.

Personally, I love the Britax Marathon seats, which are expensive, about $250 each, but they're pretty heavy seats, which I feel make them really sturdy and the kids can grow up to 65lbs in them. I used a couple different sites to order them: www.albeebaby.com, and www.tinyride.com - they both have free shipping on orders over $100 or something - but shop around online for the best deals. Hope this helps!

And I hope you recover well and quickly - esp. with 2 young kids - it's hard when you're physically struggling. God bless!

Get new carseats!!! The insurance company will pay for them. Britax has been rated the best carseat out there. I personally love the Britax Roundabout. At one time, I had to deal with the company directly and they were amazing! You can't go wrong with Britax!

Absolutely, without a doubt, throw those car seats away and get new ones...............your insurance will cover some of the cost. We got 80 bucks towards a new one, so it helped!
:)
Better safe than sorry.
Good luck.
Dealing with all that can be quite stressful.........so take care of yourself and go get a massage!
Us moms deserve one once in a while and ESPECIALLY after something like that!
;)
S.