Stroller in vehicle during car accident..?

jacqui276

New member
My car seats have long been replaced but I keep questioning my stroller that was in the trunk of my vehicle. I was stopped and rear-ended by someone going about 80km/hr (~50mph) and pushed into the vehicle in front of me. My car is a write off, the trunk ended up quite severely bent inwards and glass smashed all over the stroller. I have since cleaned the glass off of the stroller. It still drives similarly to how it did before, but I did notice that it does not latch in a folded position very easily like it used to so I am questioning if something is bent. Would you continue to use it or toss it? If you were to toss it, what is the best way to dispose of a stroller?
 
ADS

Boot

New member
I would carry on using it unless you can claim a new one through your insurance. It's not a safety device like a car seat. If it's slightly damaged it may wear out quicker but it will most likely see you through until your child is too big for it. As for trashing it, the only option I know of is taking it to the dump, sorry.

Sorry about the accident, it sound quite severe. Are you OK?
 

oliviacw

New member
As long as it's not in imminent danger of breaking apart and dumping your child on the floor, it should be fine. If it's just not driving as smoothly as you like (or whatever), then if you really don't want it you might be able to sell it via consignment or on Craigslist (etc) - someone else might not object to it's current state. If you think it should be disposed of, then you might be able to separate out any metal components and recycle them.
 

jacqui276

New member
I didn't think that it would be as strict with strollers as car seats but wasn't sure if they were any rules surrounding it. I don't think that it will collapse on him or drop him on the floor or anything since the metal is all still intact, just possibly slightly bent somewhere. Thanks for the opinions!

We are doing ok. My hubby and I were a bit injured but healing nicely. My baby is fine, which is what matters most!
 

Athena

Well-known member
Some companies (e.g. Maclaren, Baby Planet) offer recycling programs, so I would check on that before sending any stroller to the dump.

I cringed about the glass being on it, so I understand where you're coming from. I don't know of any guidelines, so I would say to use your own judgement on this one. Have you asked the insurance company about it?
 

jacqui276

New member
The insurance company won't replace it since I don't have any manual's or anything saying that it HAS to be replaced. I suppose that I can't complain too much though since they paid the full amount for the $200 seat that I bought to replace one only worth $100, even though I told them how much my previous seat was worth and that I would cover the difference.
 

zactayaus

Well-known member
The insurance company won't replace it since I don't have any manual's or anything saying that it HAS to be replaced. I suppose that I can't complain too much though since they paid the full amount for the $200 seat that I bought to replace one only worth $100, even though I told them how much my previous seat was worth and that I would cover the difference.

That stinks. I woman at my church was in an accident and when the insurance adjuster went to look at the car and saw the stroller in the back they replaced it along with the car seat without hesitation and she had never even thought about the stroller needing to be replaced.
 

katymyers

Active member
I would think that if it got damaged they should replace it regardless. Isn't insurance supposed to cover the items in your car also?
 

newyorkDOC

New member
I'd email the stroller company and ask. I think about all the times I get the bugaboo emails about not using the stroller until they send whatever part bc of "risk to the child" so my guess is that many companies do have some sort of policy about car crashes. At least you'd them have some documentation from the company to provide the insurance co.

If they don't respond, I'd just keep using it. I'd vacuum and wash the cover/basket but like others said, it's not really a safety issue.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I would think that if it got damaged they should replace it regardless. Isn't insurance supposed to cover the items in your car also?

No. Generally that would be a separate claim, under your homeowner's or renter's insurance, with a separate deductible. Unless your deductible is super, super low, or your stroller is super, super expensive, or both, it's probably not worth it to claim (keeping in mind that they will depreciate all items for age when establishing value, as well as you possibly seeing a rate increase.) We had enough in our van in our crash to claim, so we made sure to list EVERYTHING from my $10 flip flops and $80 worth of makeup up through the $1000 items that was lost or irreparably damaged, because we had a $500 deductible to hit, and it wasn't going to be worth it if we didn't have a significant claim. (We eventually claimed for about $4000 worth of contents I think, which they depreciated to $2700 or so IIRC, less our $500 deductible. Of course it's been a while so the numbers are fuzzy but you get the gist. Claiming for a $550 stroller alone, had we had one in there, would not have been worth our time.) (Of course I'm in the US- it may work differently in Canada. But here at least, car insurance doesn't cover the contents of your car- other than car seats which are considered part of the car's restraint system- homeowner's or renter's does.)
 

jacqui276

New member
My homeowner's insurance has a $1000 deductible, so if that is the case it would definitely not be worth claiming (assuming that it works the same way here). My stroller was not a fancy one by any means, and probably worth roughly $100 new. It was only used for 2 months, which is slightly depressing if it is tossed. I will send an e-mail off to the company though and see if they have any insight. It's not the end of the world if I can't use it anymore since I wasn't a huge fan of it to begin with and it is not very pricey.

Years ago when my car was broken into the insurance company was willing to cover the things damaged/missing that were attached to the car (i.e. my stereo that was stolen and the damage to the door/window to get in) after paying my deductible, but would not cover all of the other contents inside my car that were stolen as well. I wonder if it is similar for car accidents? Either way, I don't really want to claim anything that will make my own costs for insurance go up. As of now, the insurance of the guy who hit me is paying for everything.
 

kathysr98

Active member
I would think the at fault person's insurance should cover all loses to the not at fault person. In Anne's case, there wasn't another person at fault, it was related to road conditions & debris (I think I remember that part correctly). The point of liability insurance is to put things back like they were before the accident.
 

katymyers

Active member
kathysr98 said:
I would think the at fault person's insurance should cover all loses to the not at fault person. In Anne's case, there wasn't another person at fault, it was related to road conditions & debris (I think I remember that part correctly). The point of liability insurance is to put things back like they were before the accident.

That was kind of what I was thinking. My insurance policy says it covers property damage caused by me to another in an accident that's my fault. I always assumed that included items inside the car.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Property damage usually includes the car you hit, houses or other objects you hit, etc. Usually, things not attached to the car are not included, though there are exceptions- I'm guessing medical equipment might get covered without too much argument for instance. I have lost property when we were hit by other people before and they said "not part of the car, not covered, check with your renter's insurance."
 

TyAndCheyMommy

New member
Property damage usually includes the car you hit, houses or other objects you hit, etc. Usually, things not attached to the car are not included, though there are exceptions- I'm guessing medical equipment might get covered without too much argument for instance. I have lost property when we were hit by other people before and they said "not part of the car, not covered, check with your renter's insurance."

I want to let anyone who this applies to know- medical equipment is not automatically covered in the event of a crash.
Most insurance (no matter who is at fault and what type of coverage) for vehicles will not cover it unless there is a specific clause in the policy.
Homeowners or renters insurance would have to be filed for the equipment in the vehicle (including a wheelchair that is being used with proper tie downs in the vehicle at time of crash).
I know this from personal experience :(
 

jacqui276

New member
Thanks for all of the insight. I have sent an e-mail off to the manufacturer and will let you know what they say about whether or not it is usable.

I'm not too worried about getting the cost of a replacement covered, although would be much more ticked off if I had to replace it if it was an expensive stroller. That is terrible that insurance companies won't even cover medical equipment such as wheelchairs though!
 

jacqui276

New member
This is the response that I received from the company:

It would be up to your discretion whether or not the stroller is safe enough to use for your child. As you are with the product, we would recommend checking the stroller over very carefully. If the folding mechanism is the problem, you may want to replace the stroller to err on the side of caution.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,898
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top