Can you imagine getting a phone call and hearing from the other end that your child had been in car accident and had serious injuries? As a mom, I can’t even imagine it without shedding some tears.
This was a reality for Shelly Martin just a short time ago. Her daughter Samantha was released from the hospital just weeks ago on the mend, but with lots of recovering to do.
Samantha was enjoying a fun time at the county fair with just her dad. On the car ride home, they struck a tree, causing some major injuries.
“It’s awful, I mean it’s torture. You know what I mean? Your mind kind of thinks of all sorts of things. They told me she had facial and head injuries and stomach lacerations and that she was still in surgery and that’s all they would tell me for a couple of hours,” Shelly told local news, WWBT News 12 in Richmond, Virginia.
Shelly wished she could have been there for her daughter. She would have made sure she was in the correct booster seat for her age. Now it’s important to Shelly that she raise awareness for car seat safety so this does not become a reality for any other parents.
Samantha is getting better every day but her mom, Shelly shared with me that she’s suffering some emotional trauma from the crash. She doesn’t like being alone or hearing loud noises. She’s also suffering from nightmares. It’s important for her to heal, so this means minimal movement-not an easy task for a six year old! As for Shelly, she is just waiting for the days of surgery and recovery to be over. She’s ready for her daughter to be one hundred percent!
“A lot of people seem to think that when the children don’t fit so easily in the booster, that it’s okay to take them out of the booster. That’s not the case,” said Shelly.
Shelly is absolutely right. It’s so important to read the rules to car seats and boosters when you have young children.
Visit https://www.safekids.org/tip/car-seat-tips for all the up to date rules regarding car seats and booster seats.