Maclaren pays family after stroller injury

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Maclaren said it was not their responsibility to pay a baby girl injured by their stroller after a recall, until 7 On Your Side got involved.

"I feel terrible. I get very choked up talking about it because you feel like, you know, you blame yourself. I do," said Julia Wallace, a mother.

Julia Wallace is still haunted by a picture of her one year old daughter Kaylie's finger partially amputated after getting trapped in the hinge of a stroller.

"Here is the gap that at that very second if anything gets in there, it'll literally slice the finger all the way through," Wallace said.

2 years ago the maker of Kaylie's stroller, Maclaren, recalled a million umbrella strollers.

Back then, 7 On Your Side's Tappy Phillips had the company's director demonstrate the free fix.

"We have a cover that fits over the hinge," said Bahman Kia, the then director of Maclaren.

But like a lot of moms on the go, Julie never saw recall story and kept on using the stroller.

"I just feel like, that on that day I failed," Wallace said.

Insuring parents stay informed is the mission of KeepingBabiesSafe.org.

The non-profit's website was started after Joyce Davis' 4-month-old died on an unsafe crib mattress.

Before the website, there was no centralized place for parents to sign up to get alerts on child product recalls.

"But really it's a parents job to stay educated, unfortunately products are always changing and there's no way for manufacturers to always stay in touch with consumers," said Joyce Davis, KeepingBabiesSafe.org.

Maclaren got in touch with a little customer's mom after 7 On Your Side got involved.

Maclaren's insurance adjuster had written the Wallaces after Kaylie's injury saying they weren't weren't "legally liable" and declined any payment.

But, they took another look and agreed to pay her medical expenses of $1,400.

"Thank you. It's great that someone's out there fighting for the little guy," Wallace said.

Maclaren USA says its original recall was successful and highly publicized.

Last August, the company publicized the recall again through social media, cautioning that all strollers should be opened fully before kids are put into it.

For more information please visit:

http://www.cpsc.gov/

http://www.keepingbabiessafe.org/

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