Boy, 3, has lucky escape after being flung from child seat through window
A three-year-old boy in a too-loose child restraint was flung free with such force his head smashed a hole in a car window. A police officer at the scene of the Brighton East collision described it as “bloody horrendous”. SEE PICTURES
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A three-year-old boy is lucky to be alive after cannoning headfirst into a car window in his child seat.
When the car he was in crashed, the toddler was flung into the rear passenger window hard enough to smash the glass because his seat hadn’t been anchored properly, police say.
Senior Sergeant Mark Thornton from Moorabbin Highway Patrol said the boy was “an inch either way of death”.
>> IS YOUR CAR SEAT PROPERLY FITTED? SEE RACV GUIDELINES BELOW
He said the poorly-fitted child seat meant it was too loose and not sturdy enough to absorb the impact of the crash.
Snr Sgt Thornton, who was called to the collision involving a Volkswagon Golf and a Volkswagon Amarok in Brighton East on November 30, said he immediately feared the worse when he heard a three-year-old was involved.
“I was pretty worried, it’s not the news you want to hear,” he said.
Fortunately the worst injury was a bloodied and bruised lump on the child’s forehead.
He was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital and has made a full recovery.
“It’s certainly a timely reminder coming into stupid season of the need to check your child’s seat is secured and installed properly,” Snr Sgt Thornton said.
“If the child isn’t properly restrained the result can be bloody horrendous.”
A man in his thirties has been charged with failing to give way and failing to restrain a minor in connection with the incident.
Head of trauma service at the Royal Children’s Hospital Dr Warwick Teague said just having a child seat in the car isn’t good enough.
“Child restraints save and protect lives, but only when installed and fitted properly,” he said.
“If they child restraint isn’t installed correctly and secured, it’s no longer a safe system.
“There have been so many scenarios where a child’s car seat has become loose and it’s failed to protect the child.”
Dr Teague said unless the child seat installation had been checked by an expert, it was likely not correctly installed.
“There are so many people in the community who don’t think they’re at risk, but really they are.”
He said even if child seats are just a little loose it opens up the opportunity for serious injury.
“They can’t be secured ‘sort of well’, and with car seats being moved and different kids sitting in them securement might change in time,” Dr Teague said.
“People need to develop the habit of securing them properly.”
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In an initiative between Kidsafe Victoria and Neighbourhood Houses Victoria parents can register to attend a free child car seat fitting and safety check.
RACV’s guide to choosing the right restraint for your child:
Babies under six months must use a rearward-facing restraint
Children aged six months to four years must use either a rearward or forward-facing restraint
Children aged four to seven must use either a forward-facing restraint or booster seat
Children over seven must use a booster seat until they’ve outgrown it, then use an adult seatbelt
RACV’s Top 5 things to remember:
Only buy a restraint that meets the Australian Standard
A sticker will show that it meets the 2004, 2010 or 2013 AS/NZS 1754 standard. It’s illegal to use overseas models and unsafe to use models over 10 years old.
Check the restraint is suitable for your needs
Remember price doesn’t necessarily reflect how safe a car seat is. Make sure the restraint is the right size for your child and fits well in your vehicle.
Has the seat got a safety rating?
The Child Restraint Evaluation Program (CREP) assesses the protection rating of car seats above Australian Standard requirements and provides information on ease of use.
Professional installation
You might think it’s easy to install a car seat but it’s best to get it professionally installed.
Regularly check the car seat and make adjustments as children grow
Buying and fitting the seat is only part of keeping kids safe. Straps can loosen over time, harnesses can need adjusting depending on what children are wearing, and your child might have had a growth spurt.
More: racv.com.au