By Personal Injury Lawyer on September 1, 2011
In a news release, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) offered tips on how to best evaluate booster seats and how to know when your child is proper strapped into the seat.
Unlike child restraints that have built-in harnesses, booster seats rely on the vehicles already-present safety belt to buckle to child in and are for children that have outgrown their forward-facing restraints. Their purpose is to make the adult seatbelt fit the child better.
The IIHS says that the proper fit is essential. They have a ratings system designed to help consumers determine if the shoulder and lap belt are in the proper position to protect their children. “Best Bets” are booster seats that provide a good fit for typical 4 to 8-year-olds in most cars, minivans and SUVs. “Good Bets” are able to provide an acceptable fit in most vehicles. Seats in the “not recommended” category do not provide a good fit and should be avoided where possible. The “check fit” category applies to those booster seats that the IIHS has tested but have varied results depending on the child’s size and vehicle model.
To make sure that your child is securely fastened into the seat, the shoulder belt should be squarely in the center of the shoulder. It should not be slipping off onto the child’s arm or touching their neck. The lap portion of the seatbelt should fit across the top of the child’s thighs. It should not be raised onto their abdomen or loose enough that the child could pull the strap behind them.
As a Sumter personal injury attorney, I know the importance of a properly fitting booster seat. In my years as a personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen the effects of children not being properly restrained during car accidents and I urge all drivers to make sure that their passengers are properly secured prior to embarkation.
By Personal Injury Lawyer on August 24, 2011
Unsure if your little one is properly buckled up in their seatbelt?
The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office will partner with the South Carolina Highway Patrol and The Regional Medical Center to conduct infant and toddler Car Seat Safety checks on Thursday, September 1 from 8:30a.m.-11:30a.m. in the parking lot of the Prince of Orange Mall,” according to news reports.
“We want parents and grandparents to have access to child safety seat experts to ensure they are properly restraining their children,” said Sheriff Leroy Ravenell to news reports. “It is duly important that we have the seats installed correctly and we are utilizing them every time we transport a small child. We ask all citizens to take advantage of this safety check for themselves and most importantly their children.”
Car seats will be also be given away during the event, according to news reports.
As a Columbia personal injury lawyer, I urge parents and caregivers to make sure their children’s seat belts and car seats are properly installed. If you don’t know how to secure a car seat, go to this event.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Columbia.
By Personal Injury Lawyer on August 18, 2011
A 10-month-old boy was killed in a car accident on Interstate 20 on Wednesday, according to news reports.
The accident occurred around 4:50 p.m. between mile markers 73 and 74 on I-20 eastbound, near Two Notch Road.
“Investigators said a 2000 Cadillac that was driven by a 42-year-old Columbia man east on I-20 was struck by a 1999 Cadillac moving the same direction that was carrying four people,” according to news reports. “Both vehicles left the road on the right side. The 2000 Cadillac overturned once, but the 1999 Cadillac overturned several times, and ejected Ferby, who died at the scene.”
Troopers said the child was not restrained in a car seat.
South Carolina Highway Patrol Investigators are working to determine all the factors involved in the collision.
As a Moncks Corner car accident attorney, I’m saddened to hear about this fatal accident involving a child. My condolences go out to the victim’s friends and family. I urge parents to always properly secure their children in car seats.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a car accident lawyer in Moncks Corner.
A mother is being charged for a car accident that killed her young daughter, according to news reports.
The accident occurred May 11 when a woman was reportedly driving her three children on Big Swamp Road. As she was driving, she reportedly lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a ditch, then crashed into a tree and overturned.
The three children were reportedly not properly restrained in child safety seats at the time of the collision.
A nine-month-old baby girl was killed in the crash. Another child is still in the hospital. The third child is reportedly OK.
South Carolina Highway Patrol is now charging the mother for the fatal accident. She reportedly told the judge Thursday that “she is a good mother and her daughter was an angel.”
She is reportedly out of jail on $16,000 bond.
As an Orangeburg car accident attorney, I’m saddened to hear about this fatal car accident involving young children. My condolences go out to this family during this difficult time. I urge parents to always ensure their children are secure in a child safety seat so they are protected in a car accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Orangeburg.
Child booster seats are being recalled because they could open unexpectedly, posing a fall risk, according to news reports.
Target Corporation, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced a voluntary recall of a popular child booster seat Wednesday.
“The recall affects about 375,000 Circo Child Booster Seats sold at Target stores between 2005 and 2009. The seat’s restraint buckle can open unexpectedly, allowing a child to fall from the chair and be injured,” according to the news report.
So far, 10 people have reported incidents in which the booster seat buckles failed. Three of those incidents resulted in minor injuries including bumps and bruises, according to news reports.
As a Columbia personal injury attorney, I’m glad no one serious injuries have occurred to children as a result of this recalled product. I hope this company can successfully recall these items before any more injuries occur.
While we don’t handle this type of recall we feel that it’s important to educate the community that there has been a recall to help protect your safety. If you have been injured in a recall like this you might wish to contact a Charleston personal injury lawyer who can help.
Toyota is recalling a small fleet of vehicles in the United States because of faulty drive shafts, according to news reports.
Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 50 Venza and Sienna vehicles because they are at risk of suddenly losing power if the drive shaft breaks.
The vehicles included in the recall are: 34 Venza wagons and 16 Sienna minivans.
“The Japanese automaker said its supplier GKN Plc had notified it on March 11 that it had supplied drive shafts from a plant in North Carolina that were defective because they had not been sufficiently heat treated,” according to news reports.
The recalled vehicles were reportedly produced in Indiana and Kentucky between March 7 and March 10.
No personal injuries have been reported in connection to this recall.
As a Charleston car accident attorney, I urge drivers with this vehicle to get it fixed as soon as possible to avoid any future car accidents or personal injuries. Toyota said it will notify owners of the recalled vehicles in mid-June. I’m glad Toyota was able to recall this vehicle before any car accidents or injuries occurred.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled product, contact a personal injury lawyer in Charleston.
A woman died and a child was injured in a single-car accident Tuesday morning in Sumter County, according to news reports.
The fatal accident occurred around 7:50 a.m. when a 31-year-old Sumter woman was driving a sport utility vehicle on Starks Ferry Road about four miles south of Sumter, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The woman reportedly lost control of the vehicle and ran off the right side of the highway. She then overcorrected the SUV to the left, causing it to leave the roadway, crash into a tree and overturn, according to news reports.
The driver died at the scene of the crash, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. She was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision.
It is unclear what injuries the three-year-old passenger sustained in the collision. The child was transported to Tuomey Regional Medical Center, according to news reports.
As a Florence car accident attorney, I’m saddened to hear about this fatal car accident. My condolences go out to this woman’s friends and family during this difficult time. I hope the young child is able to experience a full and speedy recovery. I urge drivers and passengers to always wear their seatbelts and buckle children up in car seats.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Florence.
A baby was killed in a tragic car accident in Florence County on Tuesday afternoon, according to news reports.
The fatal accident occurred around 3:10 p.m. along Big Swamp Road near Pamplico. According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the single-vehicle car accident occurred when a driver of a 1990 Honda vehicle ran off the roadway.
It is unclear how the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed, but the car reportedly hit a ditch and a tree, causing it to overturn.
A nine-month-old was killed in the crash and several others in the car were injured, according to news reports.
It is unclear whether all the passengers were properly restrained in seatbelts and safety seats at the time of the collision. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is working to investigate all possible factors in the crash.
As a Florence car accident attorney, I’m saddened to hear about this fatal car accident that took the life of a young child. I hope all the injured passengers are able to make a full and speedy recovery from this crash. My condolences go out to the victims’ friends and family during this difficult time. I hope investigators can work to determine exactly how this tragic accident occurred.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Florence.
Children are learning to unbuckle their car seats at early ages, according to a new study, potentially opening them to the possibility of getting injured.
Yale University researchers found that nearly half of kids in car seats as young as a year old can unbuckle themselves, in a new report. The study found 51 percent of families reported their child unbuckling their car seatbelt. Nearly 75 percent of the children were young than three when they escaped. Boys made up 59 percent of the escapees.
“We found that children can unbuckle from their child car safety seats by their fourth birthday, and there is an alarming 43% who do so when the car is in motion. It was reported as early as 12 months,” according to a Yale School of Medicine clinical fellow.
Researchers said that younger children don’t understand the need for child safety seats. It isn’t until around age three when children begin to understand the safety implications of seat belts.
As a Charleston car accident attorney, I urge parents to pay attention to their children in car seats to ensure their safety. If children are escaping from their car seats often, parents should look into getting a different brand car seat that may be harder to unbuckle.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Charleston.
One person was injured in a domestic custody dispute that led to a car accident in Pickens Co., according to news reports.
The incident reportedly occurred around 6:45 a.m. when a Easley man allegedly took his 2-year-old son from home and put in, unrestrained in his truck. The mother then reportedly climbed into the truck bed to prevent the man from taking the toddler.
The man then allegedly drove erratically to throw the woman out of the truck. He crashed on Highway 178 near the Pickens County Airport, drove off, then crashed off the road on Cartee Road near Diamond Drive. The woman was ejected from the truck and the man continued to drive.
Eventually, deputies were able to stop the truck on Highway 178 and Highway 88 in Anderson County, according to news reports.
The child was not injured in the incident, according to news reports.
The man had been charged with driving under suspension, first offense; child restraint violation and leaving the scene of an accident, driving too fast for conditions and leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, according to news reports.
As a Greenville car accident attorney, I’m saddened to hear about this dangerous driving accident. I’m glad to hear the child is OK. I hope the woman injured in the crash is able to fully recover from her injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Greenville.
