Jim is also a vocal advocate of extended rear-facing, because his grandson, Joel, was critically injured in a car crash. The impact of the collision threw his body forward, and his car seat did its job of restraining him. But at 18 months, his skeleton was not mature or strong enough to keep his head from being thrown toward the front of the car. Joel's neck was broken.
As Jim posted on Car-Seat.Org, "Some of the doctors put it in very simple terms...his skull, internally, became detached from his body... and was basically held on with his skin."
Babies and toddlers are not protected from neck and spinal cord injuries in the forward-facing position. The head is the heaviest part of the body at that age, and even at "low" speeds like 30 mph, a child's head would be thrown forward and pull the rest of the spinal cord with it. It's a very graphic term, but it's technically known as internal decapitation. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends at least 2 years rear-facing, even better would be to rear-face to the height and weight limits set by your car seat's manufacturer.
Watch the news video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcG_CKT1j7c
Keep up with Joel's progress: http://www.joelsjourney.org/index.html
We worked closely with Jim when he was producing his campaign. He is a wonderful person and we are so pleased to have his voice in the rear-facing advocacy world.
ReplyDeleteWow! Information that every parent show have. Thanks.
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