A Virginia mother is sharing her painful experience to help other parents understand the critical importance of proper seatbelt use for children.
After a terrifying car accident, 6-year-old Lily is recovering, but it’s been a tough journey. Just weeks ago, she and her father were involved in a crash while returning from a county fair, colliding with a tree. Tragically, Lily was not in a booster seat; her mother, Amanda, mistakenly thought she had outgrown it. To make matters worse, like many kids, Lily had tucked the shoulder strap behind her back. In a heartfelt interview with a local news station, Amanda recalls the gut-wrenching moment she received the call about the accident.
“It was horrible. I felt like I was being tortured. They told me she had severe facial and head injuries, along with stomach lacerations, and that she was still in surgery. I was left in agony for hours,” Amanda shared with WWBT News 12 in Richmond.
Doctors later revealed that Lily was fortunate to be alive. The seatbelt had severely injured her abdomen, causing her intestines to protrude. The surgeon explained that Lily was essentially “cut in two,” and much of the damage was beyond repair.
Lily’s injuries are a classic case of “seatbelt syndrome,” which encompasses a range of injuries to the spine, abdomen, and head when only the lap portion of a seatbelt is used.
Now home, Lily wears a binder around her belly to support her during recovery. Amanda, reflecting on their harrowing ordeal, is determined to educate others about child safety seats and proper seatbelt usage, even if it means admitting to her family’s mistakes.
“Many parents think that if their kids are too big for a booster seat, it’s okay to remove it. That’s not true,” Amanda warns.
Experts echo her concerns. According to The Car Seat Lady, harness straps should be snug—tighter than most parents realize. Additionally, just because a child appears too big for a car seat doesn’t mean they’re ready for a booster. “Some car seats can accommodate kids up to 65 or even 90 pounds with a harness, so it’s not just about weight,” says Alisa Baer from The Car Seat Lady.
Moreover, moving the shoulder strap behind her back significantly increased Lily’s risk of injury. “Without the shoulder belt to keep the upper body secure, the lap belt shifts during a crash, applying forces to the abdomen, which can lead to severe internal injuries,” Baer explains.
Amanda spent countless nights by Lily’s hospital bed, grappling with the reality that this tragedy could have been avoided. “Things can happen so fast,” she said. “There will always be that guilt—if only we had done better. This was entirely preventable.”
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Summary:
A Virginia mother, Amanda, shares her harrowing experience after her daughter Lily was injured in a car accident due to improper seatbelt use. Lily was not in a booster seat, and she had tucked the shoulder strap behind her back, leading to severe injuries known as “seatbelt syndrome.” Amanda emphasizes the importance of understanding child safety seats and proper seatbelt usage to avoid similar tragedies.