Miracle Baby in a Drainage Ditch Story Illustrates the Need for Secure Child Seats

The most amazing thing happened along I-30 this week when a tractor-trailer sideswiped car also traveling down the the interstate, tearing the door off the vehicle and causing the car to flip. The driver, a mother, and her baby were ejected from the vehicle. Her car seat was soon found, but the infant wasn’t in it.

A short time later, a good samaritan who was searching the area heard some noises from some piles of hay alongside the highway. He continued his search, and found that an eight-month-old baby was sitting up in the bottom of a drainage ditch, holding out her arms to be picked up. She wasn’t screaming, wasn’t crying… merely waiting.

The drainage ditch was about 25 feet from the roadway. It is imagined that the baby rolled down the hill after the semi hit the car and caused the accident, and landed in the drain, sustaining only a scratch on her forehead. It took three firefighters to get her out.

The mother and four other people were taken to the hospital for more serious injuries.

Miracle Baby After Rescue

Miracle Baby Thrown From Car and Survived — Miracle Baby

Police confirmed that the child was not properly restrained in the car seat at the time of the semi-truck accident and that the car seat was also not properly installed.

The driver of the truck was cited for an improper and unsafe lane change.

Car Seat Safety

Miracles can and do happen, but you can’t count on a miracle to save your child in the event of an accident. Make sure your baby is properly secured in the car seat, and that the seat itself is securely fastened into your vehicle.

Tips For Keeping Your Little Ones Safe:

Read the car seat instruction manual and the portion of your vehicle’s owner’s manual on car seat installation. Every car seat needs to be installed using either the lower anchors of the LATCH system or the seat belt to secure it in place. If you choose to use a seat belt to install your car seat, pay close attention to how to lock your seat belt in the vehicle owner’s manual. Because every car seat and vehicle is different, it’s important to follow all instructions carefully.
Place the car seat in the back seat of your vehicle and follow the manufacturer’s installation directions.
The car seat must be secured tightly in the vehicle. It should not move side-to-side or front-to-back more than 1 inch when pulled at the belt path.
If it is a forward-facing seat and has a top tether strap, connect it to the tether anchor and tighten. This step is very important as it limits forward head movement in a crash.
If it is a rear-facing seat, make sure the car seat is installed at the correct recline angle. Most car seats have built-in angle indicators or adjustors that help with this step.