Car Accidents and Children: Buckle Them Up

Two Logan residents were killed in a car accident earlier this month, but their one year old child survived. The residents were driving on I-80 when the vehicle left the roadway and hit a guardrail.

The Nevada Highway Patrol has stated that the driver of the vehicle, a 1995 Ford Explorer, steered the vehicle to the right during travel which caused it to cross both lanes of traffic. After an overcorrection by the driver, the car was caused to overturn.

As they were not wearing seatbelts, both the driver and front seat passenger were ejected from the vehicle during the rollover. Both died on the scene. The one year old, who was not secured in a child safety seat, was ejected as well; however, she miraculously sustained no injuries.

Upon further investigation, the Nevada Highway Patrol stated they found the child’s safety seat loose in the back of the vehicle.

The Importance of Using Child-Safety Seats to Prevent Injuries in Car Accidents

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a child safety seat, booster seat, or a seatbelt will reduce the risk of serious and fatal injuries to young car passengers.

Car seat use, for example, reduces the risk of death to infants by 71 percent and to toddlers by 54 percent. Booster seat use will reduce the risk for serious injury by 45 percent to children aged 4 – 8 years. For older children, seat belt use reduces the risk of death and serious injury by about 50 percent.

Securing a child, no matter how old, in the appropriate safety device – whether it be a safety seat, booster seat, or with a seatbelt – can mean the difference between life or death if a car accident occurs. In the aforementioned situation, the young child was very lucky and did not sustain any injuries despite not being in a car seat and being ejected from the vehicle during the rollover.

Other Children Are Not So Fortunate

According to the CDC, more than 650 children aged 12 and younger died in motor vehicle crashes during 2011 (the last year for which data is available), and more than 148,000 were injured. Many of the deaths and injuries could have been prevented or lessened if appropriate safety devices were use in the vehicle.

If you have suffered serious injuries or have had a loved one killed in a car accident caused by the negligence of another party, consulting a Henderson personal injury attorney can help you get the compensation you need to recover and restore your quality of life.

At the David Boehrer Law firm we offer free initial consultations to all clients, and we provide individualized attention with care and compassion.

For a consultation, we welcome your call to our office at (702) 750-0750.