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Authorities stress need to use child seat safely

Police say the seat a 5-year-old girl was strapped into was hooked only to the car's seat belt during a crash. She is in critical condition.

CLEARWATER - Not fastening a clip that holds a child restraint seat tight against a car seat may have contributed to the critical injuries suffered Monday by a 5-year-old girl, authorities said.

Katelin McDonald was belted into her restraint seat when her mother's Ford wagon collided with a Nissan pickup on Belcher Road. But the child seat's locking clip was not used to secure it firmly. The child seat was held in place only by the car's regular lap and shoulder belts, police said.

Katelin was flown by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center, then transferred to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. She was listed in critical condition Tuesday.

Her mother, Jerri Ann McDonald, 40, also was taken to Bayfront and was later discharged.

No charges have been reported.

More than 90 percent of parents do not properly use child or booster seats, the use of which can change according to a child's age and weight, along with the type of seat, said police.

Training on the proper use of child safety seats is available at many local police and fire departments, though appointments must be made in advance.

For information on where training is available, call the Pinellas County child safety seat hotline at 892-KIDS.