I don't know where the "ask for a letter" rec started, but I feel it's a poor recommendation... Has anyone ever had that succeed?
Do you guys have ANY insurance coverage with his name on it? Or was the car owned & insured by your mom?
I do want to follow up on what carseat coach said about the seatbelt. I am thankful your husband is okay and sorry that he got in an accident. But, at the risk of sounding insensitive, I do want to note that although the lack of seatbelt may have saved his life once this particular crash sequence started, stories like these tend to cost more lives than they save as that "message" spreads. I am uncomfortable leaving those who read this thread with the impression that removing one's seatbelt is a life- saving measure. In all but the freakest of cases, it is not; indeed, in this case, it would have been far safer to leave the seatbelt on and avoid the crash by either a) have the cell phone stowed somewhere else while driving or b) pull to the side instead of unbuckling and removing items from the driver's footwell while in motion. This crash was 100% avoidable and it troubles me that the removal of a seatbelt is being portrayed as a life saving measure.
I sincerely hope you understand what I am trying to say and that I am not attempting to slam your husband. The nature of message boards is such that some folks only hit certain threads, or only find us upon a google search, and misconceptions left uncorrected have a way of spreading.
Diono's replacement policy applies only to occupied seats. Does your nephew have another seat to ride in in the meantime?