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Toddler's injuries point to car seat

By ROBIN STEIN
Published January 30, 2007

PALM HARBOR - Improperly installed car seats pose common safety hazards, which was evidenced by the nasty cut that sent a toddler to the hospital after a multicar crash Sunday afternoon on U.S. 19, authorities said.

Kristin Vaughn, 30, of New Port Richey was heading north driving a Nissan Sentra with her children, Reilly, 2, and Taylor, 7, when she rear-ended a Chevrolet Ventura, which in turn, ran into the rear of a Jaguar.

Three occupants of the Ventura and Jaguar were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, but officials said the Vaughn children were the most seriously hurt, especially Reilly.

Reilly's forward-facing car seat was not securely anchored to the car, said Kristin Scholz, Palm Harbor Fire Rescue's public education specialist.

"It was installed in the vehicle too loosely," Scholz said. "Car seats should move forward or back less than an inch."

Scholz, a certified child passenger safety technician, said Reilly's seat was sliding a full foot when she arrived on the crash scene, between Alderman and Nebraska roads.

The "drastically loose" setup stemmed from allowing too much slack when the seat was initially installed, Scholz said. Or, the seat might have been slackened by the impact, which Scholz said would mean that the locking mechanism on the seat belt was not engaged.

Both are very common mistakes, she said.

Scholz and child safety technicians at Palm Harbor routinely conduct many seat checks for people who stop by the station. Her record so far is 12 checks in one day.

Reilly was already on his way to the hospital when Scholz arrived, but she said the rescue team suspects that he was launched toward the front seat and his head hit the metal parts at the base of the headrest.

They also said that the harness holding Reilly to the seat was probably too loose. Scholz said parents should not be able to fit more than a single finger under the harness once it is latched.

Taylor, who suffered less-serious cuts, would have been safer if she had been sitting in the back seat, Scholz said. Air bags and seat belts are designed for adults and often injure children, she said. Although Florida law doesn't prohibit children from riding in the front, she said federal regulators advise that children under age 8 - or under 4 feet 9 - should be sitting in car seats or booster seats in the back seat.

Further information about the Vaughn children was not available Monday.

Fast Facts:

On the Web

For child seat setup tips, go to:

- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: www.nhtsa.dot.gov

- Safe Kids Worldwide: www.safekids.org

[Last modified January 29, 2007, 21:05:43]