According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 262 children’s wrongful deaths and 115,000 children’s injuries occur each year.  In part three of our Avoiding Children’s Injuries series, we will look at one cause of children’s injuries: power windows.

Our personal injury attorneys know that children are often injured in car accidents.  However, when children’s injuries occur in non-car crashes, that is something that we would like to see prevented.  One of the major causes of children’s non-car accident wrongful deaths are the power windows in your car.

Children get injured easier than adults because of their smaller bodies.  Because trauma can cause so much more to a child, the medical bills for some injuries can be extremely high.  If you’re a parent, you may have no idea how to get these bills paid.  Our personal injury attorneys have supplied a resource page with some information on how to get those medical bills paid.

According to the NHTSA, all new automobiles are installed with “pull to close” switches on their power windows.  So in order to close these windows, you must pull up on the lever to do so.  Older automobiles, however, may have power window switches that might lead to personal injury if a kid should accidentally step or put weight on the lever, thereby causing the window to close on a limb or worse a child’s head or neck causing spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries.

Here are the NHTSA’s tips for preventing a child’s wrongful death from power windows:

  • Never leave your children alone in an automobile for any reason.
  • Teach your children not to play with window switches.
  • Teach your children not to stand on passenger door arm rests.
  • Properly restrain your children in car safety seats and seat belts tokeep them safe during an auto accident and keep them from activating a window.
  • Look and make sure that everyone’s hands, feet and head are clear of windows before closing them.
  • Never leave your key in the ignition (in the “on” or “accessory” position) when you walk away from your automobile.
  • If applicable, activate your power window lock so that your children cannot play with the power windows.

As personal injury attorneys, we hope that you listen to the NHTSA and that your child is protected from any personal injuries that may be caused by your car’s power windows.

Check back tomorrow for part 4 of our Avoiding Children’s Injuries Series – Rollaway Auto Accidents.

Please feel free to call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced automobile accident attorney.  We have a large bilingual staff that can assist you in either English or Spanish.