Partly A Miracle, But Mostly ERF

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Recently, a member of Car-Seat.org was involved in a serious multi-vehicle pile-up outside of Houston TX.

An 18-wheel truck struck the rear of her Toyota mini-van with a family including three small children from Louisiana in the rear. The force crushed the rear of the van and pushed it into a new motor home that was stopped for traffic. The three children, ages 1, 2 and 3, were in child safety seats in the rear of the van. The van basically crushed around them.

But no one in her vehicle was seriously injured. No one. Not even the children.

Was this a miracle? Maybe a little bit. But this mother increased her kids' chances of surviving by rear-facing their car seats. When that truck slammed into the back of their van (within inches of her 2 year old's head), the force of impact pushed their bodies into the shells of the seats, cradling them and distributing crash forces safely. If they had been facing forward, the outcomes would have been significantly different.

Miracles do happen. But decisions we make beforehand help them happen when we need them.

FF Toddler Suffers Internal Decapitation

When toddlers in forward-facing car seats are involved in vehicle accidents, their heads can be thrown forward so forcefully that they suffer internal decapitation. Their skulls literally separate from their spines.  That's what happened to 2-year old Micah Andrews, of Phoenix AZ:

http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=12035541#

Older children and adults are at less risk for internal decapitation because their necks and spinal cords are stronger and more developed.  Also, toddlers' heads still represent a significant proportion of their overall height and body weight:

Please consider rear-facing your babies and toddlers to the rear-facing limits of their car seats. It's not convenient or easy, but it could save their lives or spare them from serious injury like this.

Rear-Facing Advocate Is a Fan of the Car Seat Poncho!

Jim Peralta, aka "Grandpa Jim" is a fan of the Car Seat Poncho.  He purchased several for his grandchildren, and posted a link to our store on his website.

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