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Pushchair manufacturer Maclaren has agreed to compensate nearly 50 UK children whose fingers were seriously injured in the hinges of their folding buggies.
Despite refusing to admit liability, the firm has agreed to provide personal injury compensation ranging from £2,500 to £10,000 depending on the severity of the injury. The money will be invested for the children until they reach the age of 18.
The majority of children, who were aged between one and eight at the time of the accidents, lost part of their finger joint when the buggies were unfolded and they needed operations to reattach the joint or a skin graft. Other children suffered deep cuts which left scars or broken bones as well as permanent loss of feeling or disfigurement.
While Maclaren recalled one million buggies in the US in 2009, it insisted that models sold in the UK were not affected. Although a product recall has still not been made in the UK, hinge covers are available on the company's website.
Parents have been campaigning for the firm to admit liability for the accidents. One parent whose child had been injured by a faulty buggy said, "We will never forget that day – the trauma is lodged in my head. And while [Maclaren] continues not to admit liability, I will always feel responsible."
A Maclaren spokesperson said the company would look into each case, adding, "We take the safety of children very seriously."
He added that the product liability problem affected the whole industry not just Maclaren pushchairs.
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