A Shanghai court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a couple seeking 2 million yuan (US$278,821) in damages from a vehicle manufacturer after their two-year-old son suffocated to death in a seat accident during a family trip.

In a case disclosed by the Shanghai Higher People's Court on Thursday, a man surnamed Zong was driving his multi-purpose vehicle with his wife in the front passenger seat, their five-year-old daughter in the second row, and their two-year-old son in the third.

While at a traffic light, the daughter reclined her seat sharply, crushing her brother's head. He lost consciousness and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital from brain hypoxia.

The parents alleged a design defect, but the manufacturer countered that the vehicle had passed China Compulsory Certification, complied with all safety standards, and included bold-printed warnings in the user manual requiring the use of child safety seats.

The court ruled in favor of the manufacturer, finding the parents had failed in their guardianship duties.

They had not installed a safety seat, in violation of the Law on the Protection of Minors and Shanghai regulations requiring such seats for children under four, and had allowed their five-year-old to operate the seat adjustment mechanism unsupervised.