You're heading out the door, the children are strapped into their car seats and they're yelling for their sippy. "momma juice, momma juice!" What do you do?
If you're like me, I hand my baby girl her juice and we're on our way.
Not after hearing this heart breaking story.
On thestir.cafemom.com, author Christie Haskell writes about a mother in Denver, Colorado who experienced a tragedy most of us parents wouldn't even think about having a concern about.
Last year, her son 2-1/2-year-old son had to have 400 stitches and several surgeries. It happened after she was hit by another vehicle. She had just left their home, only a block away from their house, she turned left only to have someone drive straight into her going 45 mph!
She remembers her son screaming behind her, blood was everywhere. What happened? Her sons sippy cup went RIGHT into his little face.
After all was said and done, the child's skull was fractured in three places, he required more than 200 internal and 200 external stitches and the main muscle in his forehead was severed and not able to be repaired which means he will never have movement of his forehead muscles.
According to Haskell's article, the boy is doing well now but has many challenges he will face throughout his entire life now due to the accident.
Since then, Haskell reports the mother is now a major car seat safety advocate, with focus on dangers of projectiles in vehicles while driving.
If you get into an accident people, even the slightest BUMP, it could send whatever is not locked down, flying! In this case, the boys sippy cup changed his life forever.
According to the car-seat.org, you can determine the force at which an item flies by simply figuring out the weight of an object, times the speed you're traveling, that will equal the force at which that item will hit something if your vehicle comes to a sudden stop.
For example: A 5 pound purse x 45 mph = 225 pounds of force. 225 pounds flying in your vehicle hitting possibly the passenger in the backseat right in the face. Is it worth it?
So I guess as a precaution... do we buckle up our purses? Do we secure our water bottles by putting them in the enclosed cubby? Sounds like just another step we don't have time for. But I say parents, lets learn from tragic accidents so the same doesn't happen to other children, or whoever it may be getting hit with projectiles in an accident. Lets be aware and lets take action.
What about you? How do you feel about projectiles? Is hearing this story going to change the way you secure the things in your car?
Media Mom
