Did top latch fail?

Unregistered · Dec 24, 2011

I'm reading about the awful Missisagua crash from December 2011. (sorry I am not sure how to spell that). The 2-year-old was in a carseat but was ejected. It's said the top latch of the carseat failed due to the violent nature of the crash. I'm trying to find out if latch failed. Here was a 2-year-old in a carseat and the outcome was bad. Not sure if fatal, but the seat failed, or the latch failed. Anyone know more?

hrice · Dec 24, 2011

I do not know the details of the crash you are referring to but top tether failure would not result in ejection of a child in a crash nor has top tether failure ever been documented to my knowledge. The purpose of the top tether is to reduce the distance that a child's head travels forward in a crash. The seatbelt or LATCH system is what holds the seat in the car and the internal seat harness keeps the child in the seat. My guess is the child was not properly secured in her seat or the seat was not actually installed (again I do not know the details).

wendytthomas · Dec 24, 2011

The top tether and lower anchors are completely different things. If the top tether failed the child would not have been ejected. You might have seen more head and upper body trauma, but not an ejection. The only way an ejection would happen if the top tether failed is if the seatbelt or lower anchors had already failed or been used improperly in the first place (by far the most likely instance, seeing as 80% of seats are installed incorrectly, and seatbelt and lower anchor failure is RARE).

I'm assuming you're talking about this crash, btw? http://www.mississauga.com/news/article/1262227--father-killed-son-injured I hadn't heard of it.

From reading that, I would guess the very likely scenario had the child in a bulky coat and a too loose harness. Not because the parents didn't care about their son, but because those are VERY common errors, and user error is far more common than seat failure. Also, if the dad was wearing a bulky coat and his seatbelt locked where his coat was, rather than against his body, he could have been ejected easily out of the car as well.

Wendy

4boysmom · Dec 24, 2011

From Wendy's posted article:
“The collision was so violent that it may have shredded their seatbelts,” said Peel Cst. Marlon Colthrust.

How do you say the seat belts "may have shredded"? They either did or they didn't and it doesn't take an investigation to see that a seatbelt is ripped to the point of looking like it is "shredded".
I am going to go with thick coats if the seats were belted in still. I mean there is no other way if the belt is buckled in and not ripped.

LISmama810 · Dec 24, 2011

I've never heard of a seatbelt shredding from a collision. They might fail (rare), but I seriously doubt they could shred without having already been damaged.

More likely, the person quoted was not at the scene and was speculating on possibilities, just like we are. It's also very likely the person was misquoted or the quote was taken out of context. (My husband used to be the spokesman for his fire department. It happens a lot.)

Any number of things could have happened, including the bulky clothing theory, not wearing the seatbelt properly (under the arm, etc.), a previously damaged seatbelt, the stars aligning in such a way that something went wrong despite everything being "right," etc. It's often very hard to know exactly what happened in a crash.

As for the top tether failing, it's very possible it wasn't in use, but was free-floating, making it appear to responders that it had been attached but failed. Or maybe it really did fail. But as others have said, that wouldn't have resulted in ejection unless that was the ONLY way the seat was secured.

Pixelated · Dec 24, 2011

There is more speculation, and some links with some pictures, here:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=206377

tam_shops · Dec 24, 2011

So sad, so tragic, shouldn't have happened...

How and has anyone ever seen a shredded seat belt?

I mean it's pretty *thick* fabric and would take a very sharp pair of scissors to actually cut it and unless they were large Shears, they wouldn't get through in one cut either...

I'd see how the bolt would come out from the car weight/force) before I'd see how a seat belt would shred.

And, there are always those times you thought you buckled all the way and it didn't and/or it was buckled and became undone. JUST happened to ODS's GN, we had a 3 across and I was the one to unbuckle and I checked after LBB kid was out...but must have hit the button, not un-done it all the way and then when ODS got in his seat next trip it un-did the rest of the way and when I checked before leaving, it was un-done and no one touched anything between...Good thing I checked!

tam

Did top latch fail?

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