Accident and seat replacement

[lesabrowning@mac.com]

My son was just in an accident in my 2002 Suburban. He was alone in the car but my daughter's Marathon was strapped in the center of the third row. The car hit a patch of black ice, spun out, flipped and ended up in a ditch upside down. The insurance company has yet to determine if the car can be repaired or totaled. They say it is close, they are just waiting to determine market value. My son is fine, walked away before paramedics even arrived. (with the help of a witness that stopped) Do I need to replace this seat? My daughter is 5.5 years and still fits nicely in this seat. I hate to throw out that expensive seat but I will if I have to. (and I would replace it with another as she knows nothing other than 5 pt seats and still weighs only 43 pounds and will fit for a while, no boosters for me yet)

Thanks for the advice.
Lesa

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.

[SusanMae]

It needs to be replaced. It's going to make the claim higher...so you may want to replace it on your own rather than make the insurance do it...unless another car was the cause...and it didn't sound like that was the case.

Keep the cover, comfort pads and belly pads---wash them up and sell them on ebay. Then I'd probably look at a Regent for her. The Madison cover is very pretty--if you have a girly girl.

Susan, CPST

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

[lesabrowning@mac.com]

Originally Posted by SusanMae

It needs to be replaced. It's going to make the claim higher...so you may want to replace it on your own rather than make the insurance do it...unless another car was the cause...and it didn't sound like that was the case.

Keep the cover, comfort pads and belly pads---wash them up and sell them on ebay. Then I'd probably look at a Regent for her. The Madison cover is very pretty--if you have a girly girl.

Susan, CPST

Thanks Susan,

I just wanted to be sure replacing it was the thing to do. (No one else even questioned that the seat should be replaced, everyone thinks I am nuts to replace it I think) I will order the Britax Regent in Madison, our current MA is the print that is the same I think. (The damged vehicle is at our home in WA state where we do not live full time) I am not sure if I should ask the insurance company to include this in the damage estimate. We are literally $1100 away from it being totaled. They are still checking for additional internal damage. No other car was involved, just a bunch of black ice! LOL

Lesa

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

[crunchierthanthou]

Britax recommends following NHTSA's criteria for replacing a carseat after a crash. The seat needs to be replaced if any of the following apply-

-there is visible damage to the carseat
-the vehicle was unable to be driven
-anyone was injured
-the airbags deployed
-the door nearest the seat was damaged

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

[lesabrowning@mac.com]

I also looked up the info from Britax, but it was not all the cut and dry to me, although I did replace the seat with Britax Regent.

There was no visable damage to the carseat.

The car was unable to be driven, but it was also in a ditch and had to be towed out. Who knows if it could have been driven once they set it straight, no one checked. LOL

No one was seriously injured

The seat was in the third row center at the time of the accident.... What door is closest? The rear window did shatter. the entire passenger door is trashed and there is some cosmetic damge pretty much everywhere.

So, while I am fairly carseat obsessed and replaced it right away... EVERYONE I have spoken too other than this group has said they would assume it is fine, especially since there was no child in it at the time. I bet most people do not replace seats.

My insurance agent said they will write me a check for the new seat if I give them the old seat and a receipt for the new one.

Thanks for the help,
Lesa

Originally Posted by crunchierthanthou

Britax recommends following NHTSA's criteria for replacing a carseat after a crash. The seat needs to be replaced if any of the following apply-

-there is visible damage to the carseat
-the vehicle was unable to be driven
-anyone was injured
-the airbags deployed
-the door nearest the seat was damaged

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

[SusanMae]

Just based on the fact that the vehicle couldn't be driven away means that the seat needs to be replaced.

Britax does offer a crashed seat replacement program, if you qualify...I think the child had to be in the seat though. I'm not 100% sure on that....but you could always call Britax and ask. You can even have them tell(or send a letter) DH or whoever that the Marathon does indeed need to be replaced.

When you turn the seat into the insurance company---cut the harness straps, and write all over the seat with a permanent marker. DO NOT USE, CRASHED SEAT, UNSAFE. Hopefully that will keep someone from thinking...ohh free Marathon, I'll use it for my child. See if they'll let you have the cover, hugs and chest clip as spares. I know you got a regent...but you could probably sell the cover.

You've done the right thing getting your daughter a new seat.

Susan

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

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