Pushchair manufacturer Maclaren has agreed to pay compensation to over 40 children across the UK who sustained serious injuries after getting their fingers trapped in the hinges on their folding pushchairs.
The children were mostly between the ages of one and eight when they were hurt. Some required operations to reattach severed fingers. Others suffered broken bones or cuts and some were left with permanent scarring. Some children may require further surgery in the future and there could also be an increased risk of them suffering from arthritis.
One of the affected children was Cathy Wickenden’s daughter Bobbi. She was two years old in 2008 when her fourth fingertip was severed after becoming trapped in the hinge on her Maclaren buggy.
Although Maclaren refuses to admit liability for the injuries, the company has agreed to pay out amounts thought to range from £2,500 to more than £10,000, depending on the severity of the injury.
Maclaren is also facing a considerable damages claim in the USA for similar injuries. After complaints from parents whose children had suffered lacerations, US safety authorities issued a warning that led to a recall of some products, although Maclaren insisted that similar buggies sold in the UK were not affected. Although Maclaren provided US customers with free hinge cover safety kits, they initially refused to do the same in the UK.
The compensation awarded will be invested for the children until they are 18 years of age.
