4yo critical after accident
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive July-December 2005:
4yo critical after accident
Child In Critical After Car Hits Bus
--Milwaukee--
A four-year-old girl was critically injured Monday morning after the car she was riding in ran into the back of a parked school bus. Milwaukee police say the girl was in the front passenger's seat and was not in a booster seat. Experts say that even if the girl was wearing a seat belt it would have done little good. Police say the driver - the girl's uncle - may have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident. He is in the Milwaukee County Jail. The case is under review by the district attorney.
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On the news story, they showed the car. The front passenger section was pretty smashed up. The back seat was barely touched. If she had been in the back and in a booster seat, she wouldn't be in the hospital fighting for her life.
They did push booster seats for 4-8yo. Trina, you would be happy about that.
Fox Six Milwaukee
 Unfortunately, I see stories like this too often. The little girl will be in my prayers.
Vent... WHY don't parents listen when safety experts say to keep kids in the back seat?! Not to mention the added safety benefits of using a booster until 4'9".
Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.
so sad!!!!! and stupid!!!!!
Prayers for this little one.
This is always a sad but timely reminder, and unhappily, they occur all too frequently.
I was at a supermarket on Sunday and saw a father with his 5-6 year old son in the store. The father was reminding the son about some point of good behavior. As it happens, they were parked next to me and we got in our cars at the same time. The little boy was in back and on a booster of some sort, but I noticed there was no shoulder restraint. I watched for a minute, intending to say something to the dad about he is such a good father I'm sure he wouldn't move without his son being restrained, and I observed dialogue going on between the two. The son made a face and fully fastened the restraint, at which point dad started the car. I was greatly relieved - they seemed to have such a good relationship in the store, I was sure he is a loving dad, and wanted so much for him to be a loving dad in the car too.
WI Seat Belt Laws Could Tighten
I read in the paper today, that the 4yo sustained severe head injuries from the airbag going off. I can't find anything about it in the paper's website.
Airbags are the biggest reason safety experts push for kids to sit in the back seat. Even without an airbag kids are 30% safer in the back.
Safety Belt Education: Booster Seats
"A staggering 80-90% of all children in the U.S. who should be restrained in a booster seat are not. Children who have outgrown their child safety seat, but who are still under 4'9", are safer sitting in a booster seat, rather than immediately transitioning to an adult safety belt. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Safety Administration, the goal of the PSA campaign is to educate parents of children who have out-grown their child safety seat that a booster seat is a life-saving transition to an adult safety belt."
More info and video clips at the link above.
Ugh...this breaks my heart!!!
Such a sad story. Trina-I have to tell you about my jerk of a pediatrician. (Well, this was at our last visit. We're switching.) Anyway, he informed us at our 12mth. visit that Natalie could go forward facing now. I informed him that she couldn't, cited the Nat'l Highway/Traffic Safety Commission and all the info I've read because of you  and he ARROGANTLY and RUDELY informed that is NOT what the APA recommends and that I'm just getting sucked into a marketing ploy for the purchase of certain kinds of carseats????!!! We had a few words (dh was sitting there like "you go girl")and it ended with him acting like a know-it-all and me being ticked.
I just wanted to share that with you. Too bad not everyone who deals with children is aware of critical safety issues.
Sadly, not all pediatricians are aware of current child passenger safety recommendations. You'd think they would, considering they work with so many children, but in their defense, there are a lot of medical issues they need to keep up on, which is after all, their specialty. Medicine not child passenger safety.
FWIW, below is a link to the current AAP recommendations regarding rear facing. How on earth are you being "sucked into a marketing ploy" to purchase another car seat if she still fits within the rear facing limits of her current one?? LOL!
AAP Recommendations
"Children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 lb to decrease the risk of cervical spine injury in the event of a crash. Infants who weigh 20 lb before 1 year of age should ride rear facing in a convertible seat or infant seat approved for higher weights until at least 1 year of age. If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back."
More expert recommendations:
Rear-facing - Unmatched Safety
Another question, child car safety guru . My 11 yo soon to be 12 is wanting to sit up front with the airbag in my van. I of course have said "no way" but I dont know that when he turns 12 he will magically be big and tall enough not to sustain injury if the airbag goes off. Do you know what is the "safe" height and weight for anybody sitting in front of an airbag. TIA
Kris, good for you on your "no way" attitude! The general recommendation is "12 and under in the back seat" but I've recently read they are now recommending the back seat until 15. I don't think there are specific height and weight guidelines, but basically they should be of adult size.
More info at the bottom of this page:
Boosters Are For Big Kids
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