Car Seat Saves Life Of Ejected Infant
A 7-month-old baby who was strapped into an infant carrier car seat suffered only a bruise to the head after being thrown 25 feet during a car crash involving a car, minivan, and semi-trailer, according to news reports.
The reports indicate that that sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about an accident involving a passenger being ejected from a crash vehicle. When the deputies arrived, witnesses told them that a car ran a red light at the intersection, hitting a minivan driven by a mother, her 7-month-old infant, and a 15-year-old girl. The impact of the crash apparently dislodged the infant’s car seat from the car, ejecting it through one of the vehicle’s windows.
Rescuers found the car seat face-down 25 feet from the accident scene. When they flipped the car seat up-right, the rescuers thought the baby did not survive because her eyes were closed. However, rescuers were relieved to see the child open her eyes and start smiling after the car seat was righted.
After being examined, medical professionals determined that the infant suffered only minor injuries and a bruise to the head. She was treated and held for observation at a local hospital. Five other people in the crash suffered injuries, two of them being listed in serious condition.
Experts Recommend Not Turning Car Seats Too Soon
While information regarding the exact positioning of the infant’s car seat involved in the above accident was not provided, given her age, the car seat should have be placed in the rear-facing position.
Experts agree that a rear-facing car seat position best protects young children in the event of a crash. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Academic Pediatrics found that almost three-quarters of parents do not follow safety advice that recommends the use of rear-facing car seats for toddlers until age 2. Instead, the study found that most parents turn their child’s car seat to a front-facing position before the child turns 2 years old, with 25 percent turning the car seat before the child reaches 1.
While the study found several reasons for why parents change the positioning of their child’s car seat, two of the more common ones mentioned by the study’s co-author, Dr. Michelle Marcy, include:
- parents think their child is too large for the rear-facing seat; and
- parents want to be able to look back and see the child
However, Dr. Marcy, who is a pediatric medicine specialist at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, noted that, “delaying the switch can make a big difference. In Sweden, it is culturally accepted that children up to age 4 are in rear-facing seats, and child traffic fatalities (in that country) are among the lowest in the world.”
Tallahassee Legal Help For Children Injured In Car Accidents
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to use safety restraints for their children and themselves on every trip involving a motor vehicle. However, while parents want to keep their children safe, sometimes motor vehicle accidents happen.
If your child has been injured in a car crash, the Tallahassee and Southern Georgia car accident attorneys at Fasig & Brooks are here to help you obtain compensation for your child’s injuries, medical expenses, including hospital and doctor bills, therapy costs, special educational needs, and other long-term accident-related costs. Call us today at (850) 222-3232 or use our online contact form to arrange for a free consultation to talk about your situation.
