Toddler Spared in Car Wreck Despite Not Being Properly Restrained
Yesterday a passerby witnessed a horrific crash in Colorado where the car blew a tire and rolled over. Four children and their parents were not restrained and were ejected from the vehicle. Sadly, the father died in the wreck. After calling 911, the witness snapped the above photo of a police officer distracting a toddler, who miraculously was spared from serious injuries, despite not being correctly restrained in a child’s car seat. As a personal injury lawyer, not to mention father, I find her parents failing to put her in her car seat shocking. Sadly, this story ended tragically, but of course it is wonderful that this little girl is lucky to be alive and uninjured.
Almost All Cars Make Fastening Seat Belts Difficult; New Rating System for Ease-of-Use of Restraint Seat Hardware
All states require that children be restrained in a child’s car seat appropriate to their age and size. Yet, a new study shows that some vehicles’ hardware makes this difficult, putting countless children at risk during accidents.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has just launched an ease-of-use rating system of vehicular latches for child restraint seats. What the agency found is astounding. Only three out of 100 cars had child restraint hardware that was considered easy to use. More than half of all cars had hardware rated as poor or marginal. How can we allow this to happen?
Automobile manufacturers have been required to install child seat hardware since 2002. When installed properly, a child restraint seat protects a child during an accident. But parents risk improper seat installation if the hardware is difficult to use.
Vehicles with Latches Rated as Good Ease-of-Use
The three 2015 vehicles with latch systems that IIHS rates as good include a large luxury car, a large luxury SUV and a midsize car:
- BMW 5 Series
- Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
- Volkswagen Passat
According to another recent study, a child who is younger than two who is strapped into a rear-facing car seat is 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured during an auto accident. We see crashes where children were not placed in these seats and are unfortunately seriously injured.
Berenson Law Firm Helps Children Injured in Accidents
If your child was injured in an accident, Berenson Law Firm considers all aspects of the case, including whether the car seat and vehicular hardware were defective. Call our Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury law firm for a free case evaluation.
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