California Rollover Accident Leaves Passengers Unharmed

The other day an article about a rollover accident, involving a black Ford Explorer in Orange County, California, caught our attention. The accident was a single vehicle accident in which the driver and passenger, an infant strapped in a car seat, were not injured after rolling over, at least once, through two lanes of traffic. We find stories such as these amazing, since so many rollover accidents usually end in injury or death of passengers. What is more, the amazing outcome of this accident proves car seats do save lives. According to a recent article in the Washington Post, regarding a study done by the Traffic Safety Center at the Department of Environmental Sciences at the UC Berkeley, placing infants and small children in age-appropriate car seats significantly reduces the odds that they will die if they are in a motor vehicle accident. Specifically, the study found, the odds of a baby under 1 year of age dying in a car accident dropped by 73 percent if the infant was riding in a baby car seat. And the odds of children between 1 and 2 dying in a collision went down by 76 percent when they were properly restrained. Also, car seats were found to be most effective in preventing fatalities in rollover accidents.
Not only are car seats important for providing safety to infants and toddlers, but finding the right safety car seat is key to saving their lives. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants should ride rear- facing, starting with their first ride home from the hospital. Once a child has reached the highest weight allowed by the manufacturer of a rear-facing car seat, they should ride in a forward-facing seat. They should ride in a forward-facing seat with a harness until they outgrow it-usually when they are about 4 years of age. Booster seats are recommended for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats. And a child should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly-usually when the child reaches about 4’9″ in height and is between 8-12 years of age.
We, the attorneys here at the Brod Law Firm, find these tips very useful for anyone who drives with their children, as our most important concern is public safety. Although we are ready to assist anyone involved in any type of accident, whether it is catastrophic or minor, we are glad when we hear about accidents like this one involving an unharmed driver and infant after a rollover.