A six-month-old little boy narrowly escaped death after being ejected from his car seat during a car crash in Maine.
Gabriel Blaney was securely strapped into his car seat when mother Chynna Blaney, distracted by her GPS, ran a stop sign. Blaney’s Chevy suburban collided with a Ford F-150 truck carrying a mother and two kids. The driver of the Ford recalled seeing Gabriel fly from his car seat, through the window, and into a snowdrift 25 feet away from the car.
Authorities state that the driver as unaware the flying object was actually a child. Once the mother, Angie Horler, realized that Gabriel had been thrown from the vehicle, she reacted as a concerned and distraught mother and ran after the child. Blaney remained disoriented in the damaged Toyota Corolla she was driving.
“I realized, ‘Oh my God, my baby is not in the car anymore. I was yelling for my baby. I couldn’t find him and I couldn’t see him,” Blaney reported to a news source.
Horler found Gabriel at the bottom of a snow bank, injured but alive. He and his mother were taken to the hospital, where Gabriel was diagnosed with a fractured skull. According to authorities, he is expected to make a full recovery. No word was provided on the mother’s condition or the extent of her injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board is working together with local police to investigate the apparently faulty care seat. A determination is not expected within the month.
Car Seat Safety
Stories such as Gabriel’s reinforce the importance of correctly installing and securing a car seat. Injuries from automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for children from age 4 to age 12. Gabriel was lucky to avoid being part of this statistic, but many other children are not as lucky. Proper and effective restraints play an important role in child safety.
If the car seat is installed correctly and is instead, defective, the child can be put at risk. To reduce the risk, ensure that the car seat is correctly installed in the back seat per the manufacturer’s instructions, and that the child is facing the rear of the vehicle until the age of two. Weight and height guidelines are also important to note, as the level of restraint in an accident may be too much for a small child and cause injury as a result.
At times, it is not the installation that puts the child at risk, but the car seat itself. A defective or poorly manufactured car seat can fail to restrain a child in the case of an accident, as with Gabriel Blaney, and could result in catastrophic injuries or wrongful death.
Contact Us Today
Killino Firm PC understands the frustration a parent can feel when a defective car seat causes injury to the child it was supposed to restrain. Our attorneys know how to fight for you in court, especially in the case of poorly manufactured child restraint systems, and have the experience and knowledge to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Please take a moment and contact Killino Firm PC today to discuss your case and hold the responsible parties accountable for your child’s injury.
