Did you know that Iowa has been ranked as the state “with the fourth-highest child car crash fatality rate compared to the U.S. child fatality rate [Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen]? With car crashes already serving as one of the leading factors that cause injury and death, it appears children in Iowa are more susceptible to sustaining a fatal injury when involved in a collision. One of the reasons why this statistic exists is because of Iowa’s current law, says Pam Hoogerwerf who is the director of the Injury Prevention and Community Outreach at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Iowa law currently states that a “child under one year of age and weighing less than 20 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system,” but perhaps this law is a little too lax. According to a statement Hoogerwerf provided, “people are turning their kids around to be forward-facing too son and putting kids in seat belts when they should be in booster seats.” On top of that, people aren’t properly securing their child’s car seats when they are using them which only makes the kids sitting in them more likely to suffer a serious injury. Hoogerwerf also estimated that approximately “70 to 75 percent of people in the Iowa City area are misusing their car seats in some way.”
In 2016 alone, 24 kids aged 14 and under were killed in Iowa in an automobile accident and 1,233 died nationwide. And because too many drivers will continue to engage in risky behavior that leads to these fatal crashes occurring, Lauren O’ Donnell, who is the Injury Prevention & Community Outreach coordinator, says that it is best that children are kept in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. Parents also need to become more informed on how they should be properly installing their child’s car seat. No matter if this is your first child or your fifth, it is important that you are taking the time to review the manuals that come with the car seats and as well as follow the updated safety recommendations the American Academy of Pediatrics provides to ensure your child’s car seat is properly fastened in.
The fact is, “child safety seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (under 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars” but only when the seats are being used properly [Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)]. With that in mind, you are encouraged to review your child’s car seat manual along with the current recommendations the American Academy of Pediatrics has provided to be sure the seat your child is sitting in is the right fit and is installed properly.
My child and I were involved in an auto accident in Iowa City, IA. How can an attorney help me?
If you and your child are the unfortunate victims of a car collision and you aren’t sure whether you need to hire an attorney, you are encouraged to contact Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, P.L.C. today. The car accident lawyers at our firm can review with you the benefits of hiring an attorney following an auto accident along with how much compensation you might be entitled to collect given damage was done and/or injuries were sustained.
To schedule an initial consultation with one of our helpful and dedicated lawyers, simply call us at 319-393-1020 and we will happy to set up a time for you to come in.
You can reach Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, P.L.C. at:
1921 51st Street NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Phone: (319) 393-1020
Fax: (319) 393-4000