Two young children and their mother were seriously hurt when a hit-and-run driver smashed into their vehicle near Fair Park in Dallas recently. The intoxicated driver,hit the family’s car so violently that the three year-old child was ejected from the car. Both children were restrained in safety seats at the time of the accident.
However, the three year-old child’s car seat was incorrectly installed, leaving the child vulnerable when the collision occurred.
Correct Installation of Child Car Seat Crucial to its Effectiveness
Child car seats only work when installed correctly. Yet, according to seatcheck.org, seven out of 10 children are incorrectly restrained in their safety seats.
The most common mistakes parents make include:
- Using a safety seat that is inappropriate for the child’s age and size
- Placing the child’s safety seat facing in the wrong direction
- Installing the child safety system in a seat where a child risks injury when airbags deploy
- Connecting the child restraint system incorrectly to the automobile’s seat
- Securing or tightening the harness or crotch strap incorrectly
- Using locking clips improperly for certain types of auto seat belts
- Failing to ensure the auto’s seat belt fits the child who is sitting in a booster seat
- Using a child safety seat that is defective or broken
Get a Safety Seat Inspection in Fort Worth
The parents in the Dallas hit-and-run collision tried to protect their children from injury by placing them
in car seats. They assumed they had installed the seats correctly and
only learned of their error at the time of the catastrophic automobile
accident.
Installation instructions can be confusing. To
compound the problem, child safety seats may fit differently in the
various makes and models of vehicles. Also, you may not know the right
time to replace the seat as your child grows, and so you might be using a seat that is too big or too small for your child’s age and size.
Don’t wait until you are in an accident to discover you made a mistake. Parents Central provides a list of child safety seat inspection stations
located in Fort Worth, Dallas and the surrounding North Texas
communities. An expert at the inspection station can check whether you
properly installed your child’s restraint system and teach you the
proper method for doing so. The service is convenient and free and could save your child’s life.
In addition, Parents Central
provides tips for choosing the right car seat and explains how to
install the seat correctly in your automobile. Safercar.gov also
provides an interactive tool for researching car seats recalls.
If Your Child Sustained Injuries in a Fort Worth Auto Accident, We Can Help
Bill Berenson has helped Dallas-Fort Worth car accident victims
for more than three decades. Our personal injury firm helps parents
protect their injured child’s best interests in the civil courts. If
your child was injured in a motor vehicle accident, we guide you through the legal process to recover compensation on her or his behalf. Call
our law firm at 817-885-8000 to schedule an appointment. We can help.