Published by If your child suffered a fingertip amputation, laceration, or another hand injury involving a MacLaren stroller, a legal review may help assess your options.
Compensation may be available for medical bills, surgery, pain and suffering, and other documented losses tied to the recalled stroller.
Table Of Contents
What’s the Problem?
The hazard involves the stroller’s side hinge mechanism. When the stroller is unfolded or opened, a child’s fingertip can get caught in the hinge, creating a risk of severe lacerations or fingertip amputation.
This kind of defect is particularly dangerous because it can occur during ordinary household use. A caregiver may be opening the stroller in a store parking lot, at home, or while traveling, and a nearby child can be injured in a matter of seconds if fingers reach the hinge area at the wrong time.
Latest Updates
- November 9, 2009 – MacLaren USA recalled about one million single and double umbrella strollers after receiving 15 reports of children placing their fingers in the stroller hinge mechanism, including 12 reports of fingertip amputations in the United States. CPSC said the hinge poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard during unfolding, and the current recall page now states that the original recall remedy is no longer available and recalled strollers should be destroyed and discarded. [1]
Product Identification
The recall involved all MacLaren single and double umbrella strollers. The word “Maclaren” is printed on the stroller, which helps identify the product.
Because the recall covered a broad range of models, families evaluating a possible claim should preserve the stroller itself, photographs of the frame and hinge area, purchase records if available, and any older repair or recall communications. Product identity can be important in any stroller injury case, especially when the product was sold over a long period.
Incidents and Injuries
The most important adverse-event history is the 15 reported incidents involving children placing their fingers in the stroller hinge mechanism. Those incidents included 12 fingertip amputations in the United States.
That injury history makes this recall more serious than a technical product defect without documented harm. A fingertip amputation can involve emergency treatment, surgery, permanent pain, scarring, nerve damage, and long-term loss of function depending on the severity of the injury.
Where and When It Was Sold
The recalled strollers were sold at Babies“R”Us, Target, and other juvenile product and mass merchandise retailers nationwide from 1999 through November 2009. Prices ranged from about $100 to $360.
Maclaren USA Inc. of South Norwalk, Connecticut distributed the strollers, and they were manufactured in China.
What Consumers Should Do Now
The original recall repair remedy is no longer available. The current CPSC recall page instructs consumers to destroy and discard the recalled strollers.
If an injury already occurred, families should not discard the stroller until photographs, model details, and incident evidence have been preserved, if it is safe and legally appropriate to do so. Medical records, surgical records, and photographs of the hinge area can all be important in evaluating a claim.
Do You Qualify for a MacLaren Stroller Recall Lawsuit?
A legal review may be appropriate if a child suffered fingertip amputation, lacerations, hand trauma, nerve injury, or another measurable loss involving a recalled MacLaren stroller. Claims are usually stronger when the stroller can be identified and the injury is documented through medical records, photographs, or witness statements.
Evidence to Gather
- Photos of the stroller and hinge area
- Proof of purchase, if available
- Medical and surgical records
- Photos of the injury
- Any recall or repair communications
Potential Damages
Potential damages may include medical expenses, surgery costs, pain and suffering, scarring, and other documented losses tied to the injury.
Legal Theories and Liability Considerations
These claims are often evaluated under product liability, negligence, and failure-to-warn theories, including whether the hinge design was unreasonably dangerous and whether adequate guarding or warnings were provided.
References
- https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2009/maclaren-usa-recalls-to-repair-strollers-following-fingertip-amputations