Car in wreck question

Shilohsmom

New member
My friend was in a minor car wreck where she was rear-ended. She doesn't know whether or not she should fight to get her MA replaced. The accident was very minor, but she's not sure about the car seat. State Farm (the guy's insurance) says that they will only replace the car seat if its cracked. Should she fight to get the car seat replaced? If so, State Farm wants to see in writing something that proves that it is unsafe to use a car seat that has been in a wreck. She still has to receipt and can prove that it is still under warranty.

TIA,

Leslie
 
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MomToEliEm

Moderator
This is from the Britax site:

Q: What should I do with my child restraint that’s been involved in a crash?

A: Britax recommends that use of a child restraint be discontinued if it has been in a severe crash. We further advise of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) position that it is not necessary to replace a child restraint after a minor crash. A minor crash is one that meets ALL of following criteria:

* The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;
* The vehicle door nearest the child restraint was undamaged;
* There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;
* The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
* There is no visible damage to the child restraint.

If your Britax child restraint has been involved in a severe crash, it may be eligible for consideration for a new one of the same or similar design. See the Voluntary Crashed Restraint Exchange section of our website for more details.
 

Mama!

New member
My friend was in a minor car wreck where she was rear-ended. She doesn't know whether or not she should fight to get her MA replaced. The accident was very minor, but she's not sure about the car seat. State Farm (the guy's insurance) says that they will only replace the car seat if its cracked. Should she fight to get the car seat replaced? If so, State Farm wants to see in writing something that proves that it is unsafe to use a car seat that has been in a wreck. She still has to receipt and can prove that it is still under warranty.

TIA,

Leslie
I cant believe State Farm is being so picky! I was in a wreck once and it destroyed our infant bucket seat. They replaced it no questions asked, and said that they always do. Its a safety issue, and even if the other company never pays up, they provide a new seat.
 

skipspin

New member
She must have a bad rep.
My agent said that they will replace any occupied seat in a crash where there is ANY damage. Unoccupied seats she wasn't sure about. Then again, they also know I'm a CPST because I'm organizing a seat check for them.
 

natysr

New member
What state is she in. California mandates by law that insurance companies replace all seat involved in an accident.

I personally would even replace a britax even if it did not meet the Britax requirements to be replaced. That is my parental decision based on the fact that every other carseat manufacturer states that seats should be replaced after any crash.

I would search on google for some sort of a safety article that covers the subject of replacing seats after an accident and see if he would take that.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
In California, insurance companies are required to replace occupied seats in a crash. No need to google it, ;) there's an article I put together over in the safety articles section of the forum with crashed seat replacement links and tips for dealing with a reluctant insurance company at: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=9575 Hope this helps.
 

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