Car seat safety is always a hot topic. And sometimes a confusing one.
That car seat? It’s literally a life saver. These images prove why a correctly installed & sized car seat is so important. And why you should be across all the safety facts…
This serious car accident could have ended in serious tragedy but due to proper car seat installation, two children, and their mum, are alive.
The photos are every parents worst nightmare and will leave you questioning just how anyone survived.
What happened?
Like many mums every day, Kylee Barrett was taking her 5-year-old son, Kolton, to school with her 2-year-old, Hunter, in tow. While driving, her car hit a patch of black ice. With the vehicle sliding, Barrett swerved to avoid hitting another car head-on but crashed into a tree. The impact crushed Hunter’s side of the car. The force of the crash caused his child seat to bend but also absorb the accident’s force. This meant Hunter was safe, even though the car flipped upside down.
Why the car seat was so important…
The correct installation of Hunter’s rear-facing Safety 1st seat saved his life. Whilst he has suffered a broken femur, bruises and scrapes the result could have been far more devastating. The reports say that the child seat absorbed the impact so Hunter’s small body did not. This was only possible because it was the correct size for his height & weight and was also correctly installed.
Friend of the family Heather Viers has published the photo of Hunter’s crushed seat online, aiming to spread the word about proper car seat selection and installation. She comments; “Check your car seats. Use them properly every single time. The life of your child relies on it.*”
The best news of all? Hunter is now at home and recovering well. Please check your car seats parents, you’ll never regret that you did!
For more information on correct car seat choice and installation in Australia read this article, ‘Car Seat Safety: The Three Most Common & Potentially Fatal Mistakes Parents Can Make’.
The family now have a GoFundMe page to raise money for costs not covered by insurance. Here’s their story as written by Mum, Kylee;
Thursday morning myself and my two sons Kolton age 5 and hunter age 2 hit black ice in Graham headed to drop Kolton off at school. We avoided hitting a car head on but that sent us up into the trees on the side of the road where we hit a tree on hunters side of the truck. The force flipped the truck and we landed upside down.
The impact completely crushed Hunters side of the truck in. We all had to be cut out of the truck. Hunter was in his rear facing safety 1st car seat in the accident which saved his life without a doubt! We were all taken to the hospital that morning by ambulance. Hunter ended up with a broken left femur and minor cuts and bruises. Kolton and I only ended up with some scrapes and bruises.
Over all we are ok. Our truck on the other hand is totalled and we only had liability insurance. I decided to ask our friends and family for help in finding a new vehicle, medical bills that won’t be covered by our insurance and car seats for the boys. Anything will help but all I’m looking for is support 🙂 thank you everyone love, The Barretts xo
Article sources: Go Fund Me & Pop Sugar.
(*American brands and service agencies are removed from this quote).
