Mother may be charged in child's death due to incorrect carseat use

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scatterbunny

New member
:(

I'm confused about one thing, though--the article said Chloe was in a rear-facing seat (assuming infant seat since they mention a base found elsewhere in the car) in the front passenger seat, but later it says the seat was installed with only a lapbelt; a 2001 Accord would not have an option to only secure the seat with a lapbelt. Minor detail, but it confused me.

And OMG, the 2yo's carseat wasn't even secured. :( And the 3yo in just a seatbelt...it's amazing that those children survived, or weren't seriously injured.
 

ThreeBeans

New member
The article had some misinformation which is irritating. But frankly I am glad she is being charged. She murdered that baby.
 

scatterbunny

New member
They also made it sound like the mother should have placed the 3mo's seat forward-facing in the front seat, pushed all the way back. They should have made it more clear, when saying a carseat in the front seat should be FF, that one of the older girls should have gone there, not the baby. I'm being nitpicky, I know, but I'm thinking about it from the perspective of someone totally clueless reading the article.
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
Too bad the reporter didn't do a bit more research. You get the impression reading the article that the fact it was installed with a "lap-only belt" was part of the problem. Then they've got someone quoted as saying the seat should have been installed FF with the seat pushed all the way back - um, except it was an INFANT seat! They should also have clarified that the base in the back seat was where the mother could easily have put the child, because it could be interpreted that the base not being used was the misuse.

I know, I'm nit-picking. What an awful story. I do wish they'd been more clear that the GROSS NEGLIGENT misuse was JUST the fact that the seat was RF in front of an airbag, though.
 

spokaneCPST

CPST Instructor
Not sure on the lap belt only part - would an Accord have the separate motorized shoulder belt? At any rate, it was "installed" VERY loosely, on top of papers and textbooks. The handle was also up, which was not allowed on the seat she was using (Evenflo I think). HORRIBLE>
Renee
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
:(

I'm confused about one thing, though--the article said Chloe was in a rear-facing seat (assuming infant seat since they mention a base found elsewhere in the car) in the front passenger seat, but later it says the seat was installed with only a lapbelt; a 2001 Accord would not have an option to only secure the seat with a lapbelt. Minor detail, but it confused me.

Oh, that's easy. With an infant seat installed without the base, the shoulder strap was probably not routed through the beltpath. It may well have been correctly installed, just in the absolutely WRONG seating position.
 

Splash

New member
I want to say to throw the book at her. I really REALLY do. But...

I also want to be realistic and and say that it's just as much a crime of misinformation and lack of resources as it is lazy parenting. LOTS of people don't buckle the car seat in. And sometimes they know better, and sometimes they don't. And sometimes they plain don't care. Yes, everyone SHOULD read the manual, but you know they don't. And frankly, I don't see how proper use can be a law when it's legal to sell used seats at consignment stores. If I buy a seat without a manual, what am I to do? I was broke in the first place, which is why I bought it used. I didn't know enough not to buy it used, because it was legal to do so. Or the punk at BRU told me how to put it in, when he had no clue. Or the cop pulled me over for speeding and never even mentioned it.

She was in the wrong, clearly. And SHOULD be charged with... something. Vehicular manslaughter, yes. But not in the same way as a drunk driver (inexcuseable) or serial speed offender (Nick Hogan). I am also a big fan of letting the punishment fit the crime... mandatory CPST certification and every saturday at free checks for a year would go a lot farther than just putting her in jail for a month.

I think the STATE should take notice in this as well. Laws need to be tougher, more enforced, more widely known, and the resources more readily available. Heck... if parallel parking (virtually non existent in all but the most urban areas) is a requirement for a DL, then a basic car and car seat safety class should be as well.
 

keri1292

Well-known member
I am also a big fan of letting the punishment fit the crime... mandatory CPST certification and every saturday at free checks for a year would go a lot farther than just putting her in jail for a month.

Great punishment. :twocents:
 

Lys

Senior Community Member
I want to say to throw the book at her. I really REALLY do. But...

I also want to be realistic and and say that it's just as much a crime of misinformation and lack of resources as it is lazy parenting. LOTS of people don't buckle the car seat in. And sometimes they know better, and sometimes they don't. And sometimes they plain don't care. Yes, everyone SHOULD read the manual, but you know they don't. And frankly, I don't see how proper use can be a law when it's legal to sell used seats at consignment stores. If I buy a seat without a manual, what am I to do? I was broke in the first place, which is why I bought it used. I didn't know enough not to buy it used, because it was legal to do so. Or the punk at BRU told me how to put it in, when he had no clue. Or the cop pulled me over for speeding and never even mentioned it.

She was in the wrong, clearly. And SHOULD be charged with... something. Vehicular manslaughter, yes. But not in the same way as a drunk driver (inexcuseable) or serial speed offender (Nick Hogan). I am also a big fan of letting the punishment fit the crime... mandatory CPST certification and every saturday at free checks for a year would go a lot farther than just putting her in jail for a month.

I think the STATE should take notice in this as well. Laws need to be tougher, more enforced, more widely known, and the resources more readily available. Heck... if parallel parking (virtually non existent in all but the most urban areas) is a requirement for a DL, then a basic car and car seat safety class should be as well.

:yeahthat:
 

brightredmtn

Well-known member
People are so stupid. I really don't understand why people don't take car seats more seriously. It's not not reading the instructions for a desk from Ikea, it's about saving lives. I don't get how people just can't be bothered enough to care...

I don't really want to see a grieving mom who still has two kids to be in jail BUT it would set an awfully fantastic precedent that if you don't take car seat safety more seriously, you could get prosecuted go to jail.
 

dd9736

New member
I want to say to throw the book at her. I really REALLY do. But...

She was in the wrong, clearly. And SHOULD be charged with... something. Vehicular manslaughter, yes. But not in the same way as a drunk driver (inexcuseable) or serial speed offender (Nick Hogan). I am also a big fan of letting the punishment fit the crime... mandatory CPST certification and every saturday at free checks for a year would go a lot farther than just putting her in jail for a month.

I think the STATE should take notice in this as well. Laws need to be tougher, more enforced, more widely known, and the resources more readily available. Heck... if parallel parking (virtually non existent in all but the most urban areas) is a requirement for a DL, then a basic car and car seat safety class should be as well.

:yeahthat:

I like the idea of having it mandatory to know to get your license, but the majority of people get their licence at 16, so even if you know it at 16, by the time you're 32 (I believe that's average age for women to have babies now) you forget most if not all of it, and a lot of the information has changed in 16 years.

But I could just see it, a 16 year old having to properly install a seat both ffing and rfing before they could pass their drivers test.
 

cpsaddict

New member
I am also being nitpicky, but man, there is some misinformation there. The article makes it sound like the baby should have been ff in the front. I know they have to cut parts of interviews, but geesh, that one line can really be taken the wrong way. Also, they make it sound as though one HAS to use the base of an infant seat to properly secure it. The "lockable" base that is normally used to install an infant seat. :confused:
I do think she should be punished. Most people look at the visor in the car at least once, even to just look at the mirror. The only picture on the visor is one of a rf infant in front of an airbag. And a 3 yr old in nothing? A 2 yr old in an uninstalled seat? I'm sorry, but this is much more than just not reading the manual. It is just being plain lazy. The visor CLEARLY states no rf infants in front of the airbag.:mad:
I do realize that people misuse seats everyday, some severly. If those people caused a crash that caused a child to die, then they too should be punished. It is time the LAWS are enforced. Many people do not take CPS seriously in any way, shape or form. I would have to guess that this mother knew good and well what she was doing was wrong.:twocents: It may take this mother being charged with a CRIME(which it is) to make other people open their eyes.
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
I definately think that just losing a child is not enough of a punishment for some people. A few years ago there was a crash in the Bay Area where a 3yo was killed in a very loosly installed seat. His dad was rushing to get to the hospital where mom was in labor with baby #2 when he hit a tree. A friend of mine was working at the tow yard where the crashed car was taken ( the car seat was installed so loosly that it slid completely off the vehicle seat) A couple weeks after the accident, 2 days after the boys funeral, the mom had to come to the tow yard to sign some paperwork. I was visiting my friend (ok so I was checking out the car) when the mom came. She had the newborn laying on the front seat. I asked her if she would like to borrow a car seat for the baby. Her reply was that being in a car seat hadn't saved her son, so it was just a big waste of money and time to use one.

I like the idea of public service instead of jail time. To often when people lose a child in a crash, all the blame falls to the car seat/car/killer freeway/etc . People are not willing to face any personal responsibility for their actions, or lack thereof, that played a part in the tragedy.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I definately think that just losing a child is not enough of a punishment for some people. A few years ago there was a crash in the Bay Area where a 3yo was killed in a very loosly installed seat. His dad was rushing to get to the hospital where mom was in labor with baby #2 when he hit a tree. A friend of mine was working at the tow yard where the crashed car was taken ( the car seat was installed so loosly that it slid completely off the vehicle seat) A couple weeks after the accident, 2 days after the boys funeral, the mom had to come to the tow yard to sign some paperwork. I was visiting my friend (ok so I was checking out the car) when the mom came. She had the newborn laying on the front seat. I asked her if she would like to borrow a car seat for the baby. Her reply was that being in a car seat hadn't saved her son, so it was just a big waste of money and time to use one.

I like the idea of public service instead of jail time. To often when people lose a child in a crash, all the blame falls to the car seat/car/killer freeway/etc . People are not willing to face any personal responsibility for their actions, or lack thereof, that played a part in the tragedy.

What scares me is that you're probably not kidding here. Could she really be THAT STUPID?? Usually the funeral is a pretty good motivator to get to know a carseat intimately. Holy crap. Someone should take her newborn away before she can kill it (like they did their son, which is mean to say I know) and sterilize the both of them!

Wendy
 

Jordynsmama

New member
Just like leaving a child in a car and him/her dying, the same applies for this. They should be charged with some type of manslaughter/murder. Not first degree of course. How sad. She is very very very fortunate those other 2 lived.
 

Judi

CPST/Firefighter
If it was an Evenflo seat, and it was not used with the base, then she probably used the handle as the belt path.
 

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