Wearing a seat belt can be a matter of life or death. We hear this time and time again.
And thankfully, for the most part, this is something we all respect and do without more than a thought.
But I do remember things being a little different when I was younger. I found it rather uncomfortable to wear my seat belt and so, when mom or dad were not watching, I sometimes slid the strap under my armpit. But I had no idea of the risk I was exposing myself to.
Indeed, many children and parents alike are completely unaware of the risks posed by an improperly strapped belt. In addition, some parents continue to strap their small children directly on the car seat before they are of an appropriate height, which can also be dangerous.
"Samantha Swartwout spent three weeks in the hospital following a car accident where she sustained serious injuries to…
Posted by Larry H. Miller Collision Centers on Thursday, November 3, 2016
6-year-old Samantha Swartwout was on her way home with her dad from a trade fair when they suddenly collided into a tree.
Samantha suffered very serious injuries and was taken to hospital unconscious. She guts were nearly split in half, and the doctors had to sew together her severely injured belly.
Doctors had to use advanced technology to keep all of Samantha’s organs in place, writes British Daily Mail.
Samantha’s dad escaped with significantly less injuries. Samantha might have as well — if she’d been in a booster seat and had her seat belt correctly fastened.
Following the accident, Samantha suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome as well as terrifying nightmares.
Now, Samantha’s mother Shelly Martin wants to warn other parents how bad it can be if they let their children ride without a child seat too early.
“It only takes a second to put your child in a proper car seat, Shelly told Daily Mail. “It will take the better part of a year for her to heal from this. ‘Mantha will still need another surgery sometime in the next few months…”
“She is also afraid to be by herself,” she add. “There are so many sides to the aftermath that people don’t think about.”
Had Samantha been properly strapped in a booster, her injuries could have been completely avoided.
Please share this article with your friends on Facebook so that more people understand the importance of adequate use of seat belts and booster seats when driving. It can be the difference between life and death.
