Hit deer - replace car seat?

[adventure_woman]

My DH hit a deer with his truck. He is fine. Airbags didn't go off, but he said it did mess up the front of his truck. He has our spare carseat in the back. Do I need to tell the insurance people it needs to be replaced?

If so, will they do it easily? How do they do that? (It was the generic Britax when they made them - the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe).

 

[roobug]

Usually insurance will only pay if the airbags deploy.

 

[mommy2twingles]

I hit a dear about 5 years ago with all 3 kids in car seats. My airbags did not go off but the insurance reimbursed for all the seats. I simply had to purchase the new seats and forward them a copy of my receipt. Had my check a few days later. I had 3 Britex and the did not have any issues with replacement cost.

 

[csharpwv]

If the car seat was not in use....with a child in it....at the time of the accident, there is no need to replace the car seat.

There was no stress on the car seat at the time of the accident, so it wouldn't have compromised the seat in any way.

It would have had more of a shock if has ever been dropped, accidentally kicked, or bumped.

SO - I don't think you have anything to worry about!

 

[owl0306]

Just cause the seats were not occupied means nothing. If the car was damaged they need to be replaced. Google car seat accident requirements and you will see what I mean

 

[tinkerbelle77]

Not sure what your state laws are...but here in Illinois the law says anytime the carseat is involved in the accident even if not in use the insurance company has to pay for a replacement. We were just involved in an accident and we had to send a pic of the car seat and purchase a comparable model. We then submitted the receipt and had a check in a few days. The accident wasn't bad, but I didn't want to take a chance there was a small crack in the plastic that we couldn't see or a stress fracture...

 

[momof3ds]

That car seat might be expired. looks they stopped production in 2006? Check the back for an expiration date. Most seats expire when they 6 years old.

So, that seat should have already been replaced.

 

[tinan]

You would be safer having the car seat replaced. Anytime a car seat is in an accident it should be replaced and your insurance company should not give you a hard time about having it replaced. As someone else already mentioned it may be as simple as purchasing a new one and giving your receipt to your insurance company. They should also instruct you to destroy the car seat so that no other child uses it either. There are some insurance companies that will try to tell you that you don't need a new one since the airbags didn't deploy, but push the case that it is not safe and they should replace. Even though this should be a no brainer anyways.

 

[adventure_woman]

That car seat might be expired. looks they stopped production in 2006? Check the back for an expiration date. Most seats expire when they 6 years old.

So, that seat should have already been replaced.

DOM was April 2007 - so it would be expiring April 2013. Regardless, I will see if they will replace it as we have to fix the truck anyway.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

We had to look this up awhile ago and found great info on Britax's website (http://www.britaxusa.com/support/faq/after-a-crash)...

Q. Can I continue to use my child seat after it has been involved in a crash?
A. BRITAX recommends that the use of a child seat be discontinued if it has been in a moderate to severe crash. We further advise of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) position that it is not necessary to replace a child seat after a minor crash.

A minor crash is one that meets ALL of following criteria:
The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site; AND
The vehicle door nearest the child restraint was undamaged; AND
There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants; AND
The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
There is no visible damage to the child seat.

 

[jessica52877]

Miss our FP safe embrace! That thing was awesome!

DH hit a deer a few months ago, $2500 in damage and they did replace the carseat (Britax Regent). They weren't pleased and left me about $75 short in replacing it with a comparable model but I took it. The air bags did not deploy, he did drive the car away but he said he was probably going 45 at the time of impact and that is no minor accident in my opinion.

 

[ssawka]

It may vary from company to company, but when my car was totaled after a kid hit me while running a stop sign, his company (State Farm) covered the seat, no questions ask. The agent told me that they do not question anything regarding car seats, provided your replacement estimate is reasonable.

 

[adventure_woman]

Well, DH couldn't drive the truck away. Something happened to the radiator and transmission. The agent he talked to mentioned something about totaling out the vehicle...which we pray won't happen. I'm going to call this am talk to someone.

 

[Swimalie]

I would ask for a replacement just to be on the safe side. You never know if there is a hidden crack in the seat that compromises the safety of it in the future.

 

[Princess on the Run]

I have had my car seats replaced in any type of collision no matter how minor and I have never had an insurance agency quibble over paying for 3 new Britax seats (largely because it's still cheaper than a lawsuit if a child is injured or dies later because the seat turned out to be damaged). I've had carseats replaced 3 times (I have 4 sets in 4 different cars so it's not like the same person getting hit over and over- LOL!) and the only issue I ever had was when my nanny got hit, her insurance company tried to say they wouldn't pay for them because they belong to me and not her. I got on the phone and "encouraged them" to understand the situation and they agreed. My State Farm agent told me if another agency bats an eyelash at it, he will pay for them and fight them to be reimbursed because he feels strongly that carseats should be replaced.

At the end of the day, most will do it if you ask. The cost of new carseats (even the most expensive ones) is still a whole lot less than defending a lawsuit if a child is injured or killed in a carseat they refused to replace.

 

[Poohbug]

When my husband was in an accident, the insurance company automatically took the car seats and told us we had to replace them. I never saw those car seats again. The seats were empty when the accident happened. The airbags did not deploy. The accident involved the front end of the car only.

The car seat manufacturers recommend they be replaced if involved in any accident. I think that whether they actually are or not depends on how good your insurance company is.

 

[thebeesknees]

Our insurance company told us we needed to replace the kids' car seats after our accident. We bought comparable seats, submitted the receipts with the claim, and the agent took our old seats so they could be destroyed. No problems whatsoever replacing the 3 seats.