Study Shows Shopping Carts Injure 24K Children per Year

Head Injuries in Children Are Increasing

A new Clinical Pediatrics study shows that shopping cart injuries are on the rise, sending more than 24,000 children under the age of 15 to hospital emergency rooms every year. This translates to 66 children per day suffering from grocery childhood injuries, many of which are linked to falls, tip-overs, or entrapment in shopping carts.

The new study highlights the increasing number of shopping cart-related head injuries, leading researchers to believe that current voluntary standards for shopping cart safety are inadequate. The study shows that the number of concussions and closed head injuries is on the rise. Shopping cart injuries are increasing, sending over 24,000 children under the age of 15 to hospital emergency rooms each year.

The study shows that the number of concussions and closed head injuries are on the rise.

Shopping cart injuries are on the rise, sending more than 24,000 children under the age of 15 to hospital emergency rooms every year.

Head Injuries in Children Are Increasing

While falls from a shopping cart accounted for the most common cause of injury, the head was the most commonly injured part of the body, representing 78.1 percent of injuries. Over the course of the study period, soft tissue injury was the most common kind of head injury. However, the number of concussions and internal head injuries rose consistently between 1990 and 2011, increasing from 3,483 injuries to 12,333 injuries.

The Clinical Pediatrics study suggests that the current safety standards for shopping carts are insufficient to protect children from grocery childhood injuries. Manufacturers currently implement shopping cart safety standards on a voluntary basis. Although safety changes were implemented in 2004, injuries have not decreased; in fact, they have risen.

How Shopping Cart Injuries Happen

According to the study, the most common shopping cart injuries happen when:

• Kids fall out of the shopping cart, accounting for 70 percent of all injuries
• Children run into or fall over the cart, accounting for 8 percent of all injuries
• A shopping cart is tipped over, accounting for 6 percent of all injuries
• Kids become trapped in the shopping cart, accounting for 6 percent of all injuries

The study’s researchers emphasize that parents should always watch their children in stores. However, small design changes to shopping carts could help prevent serious injuries. Placing the child seat closer to the ground can help prevent falls from a higher height. Adding safety belts to shopping carts could also reduce injuries.

Speak With a Citrus County Brain Injury Lawyer

If your child has suffered a shopping cart-related injury, there are certain steps you can take. Under premises liability laws, store owners have a duty to make sure their store is relatively safe for all customers. This includes a responsibility to ensure their shopping carts are safe for use. Both the store owner and the shopping cart manufacturer could be liable for injuries if the cart is defective. Defects can arise from manufacturing errors, design flaws in the shopping cart, or ineffective warning labels that do not adequately highlight the cart’s risks.

If your child has suffered an unfortunate head or brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, let a Citrus County Brain Injury Attorney at Whittel & Melton help you pursue the full and fair compensation you deserve to treat these types of injuries. We know the physical and financial burden head and brain injuries can place on your life. Please call us anytime at 352-726-0078 for a free consultation regarding your injury matter.