Imagine taking your toddler for a walk in a baby stroller. You open the stroller, securely fasten the safety belt, and then off the two of you go. However, your child suddenly begins screaming and you realize that your child’s finger has been caught in the stroller’s hinge and his or her fingertip has been chopped off. According to a recall notice issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), this is what happened to at least 11 different children.

Six children suffered full amputation of fingertips, four children suffered partial amputation of fingertips, and one child suffered a serious laceration. The product’s defect is in the hinge, which may not lock fully into place when opening up the stroller. Not only can a child’s fingers become caught in the open hinge, but the stroller may also begin to close with the baby still in it.

The recall involves 11 different models of strollers manufactured by Graco and Century. Moreover, the recall itself involves almost 5 million units sold in the United States, 202,000 sold in Canada, and 10,300 units sold in Mexico.

The strollers were manufactured between 2000 and 2014. All are single-occupant style and include the following models: Aspen, Breeze, Capri, Cirrus, Glider, Kite, LiteRider, Sierra, Solara, Sterling and TravelMate. Graco, however, is offering a hinge repair kit.

This is the second major recall that Graco has had to issue for baby products in less than a year. In February, the company was forced to recall over 4 million car seats after receiving numerous complaints of the safety buckles becoming locked up, and parents unable to remove their babies from the seats. Many parents were forced to actually cut the harnesses in order to get their child out of the seat, thus creating a very dangerous situation in the event of an accident in which a vehicle fire occurred.

If your child suffered a fingertip amputation caused by a Graco Stroller, contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to discuss your case and any legal recourse to which you may be entitled.

One of the most common causes for truck crashes in Connecticut and across the country is overweight truck loads. Many commercial tractor trailers haul loads which exceed the state’s maximum allowed limit of 80,000 pounds. Ignoring the law, however, can have tragic consequences. If an event occurs that causes a truck driver to lose control of the vehicle, serious—and often fatal—accidents can result.

Additionally, when a tractor trailer transports more weight than it is built for, it can cause serious mechanical issues such as tire blowouts and steering difficulties. The overweight loads can also hamper a truck’s ability to slow down and stop, therefore making it particularly dangerous for overweight trucks when traveling downhill.

Overloaded tractor trailers are also more easily prone to truck rollovers, as a recent fatal truck accident demonstrated. The driver lost control of the truck while attempting to maneuver in heavy traffic and flipped over onto a car. Both the car and truck burst into flames. The truck driver was able to get out of his vehicle and was uninjured. The driver and passenger in the car, however, were trapped and crushed under the burning truck, and were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to statistics from the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA), there are more than 300,000 truck accidents in this country each year, which kill about 4,000 people. Another 105,000 people are seriously injured in these crashes. For victims who do survive, their injuries are often more severe and long-term than injuries suffered by victims of car accidents because of the size and weight impact of the tractor trailer involved in the accident. Often, their quality of life is significantly lowered by the accident.

If you were injured in a serious truck accident, please contact a dedicated Westport personal injury attorney today at 203-226-6168 to find out what legal compensation you may be entitled to for your pain and loss.