Miracles do happen. In Arkansas, an 8-month-old baby was ejected from a car after a crash, and survived, CNN reports.
A tractor-trailer collided with the car baby Bryce and her family were riding in. Their car spun out of control and into a guardrail, ejecting the baby out of the car.
Her mother Jakesia Colson searched for almost half an hour for her only child. After she didn’t hear any crying or screaming, she started to panic.
But thankfully, the authorities found her, safe and sound in a storm drain 25 feet away. Apart from a scratch on her forehead, she was completely unscathed.
“She wasn’t screaming, she wasn’t crying, she was just sitting there waiting for us”
“She more or less had her hands up, ready for somebody to pick her up,” Capt. Charlie Smith told CBS News. “There are so many times we go out and things aren’t okay. And just during the holidays here to have a positive—it just feels good.”
“The baby was sitting up and looking up at us waiting for us to pull her out,” firefighter Josh Moore said. “She wasn’t screaming, she wasn’t crying, she was just sitting there waiting for us. There had to be some kind of divine intervention for her to end up being OK.”
Authorities think that the baby rolled down a hill and into the drain. The baby and her family were taken to the hospital. Except for the driver, who is still recovering from the crash, they have all been released from the hospital.
Police said that baby Bryce was in her car seat, but she wasn’t strapped in properly. The car seat wasn’t properly secured either, but the family wasn’t cited. The driver of the truck that sideswiped the car was cited for improper lane change.
“She should’ve been gone, but she’s still alive with no injuries,” Colson told CBS News. “I feel like God took her out of the car and placed her there. She’s still alive. She’s my miracle baby.”
On the next page: read this car seat safety tips to keep your baby safe while traveling.
Just placing your baby in a car seat isn’t enough to ensure their safety. You should make sure that the car seat is installed correctly, and your baby is buckled in securely. 73% of car seats aren’t used or installed correctly, so make sure that you read your car seat’s manual and make sure that you’re using it correctly. Here are some tips from Safe Kids on ensuring proper use of car seats.
1. Buy the right car seat
Always check the car seat’s label to ensure that it’s appropriate for your child’s age, weight, and height. Car seats also have expiration dates—materials wear down and safety standards chance over time—so make sure that the label says it’s still safe to use.
2. Use the back seat
Keep all kids in the back seat—generally the safest place in a crash—until they are 13.
3. Rear-facing or forward facing?
Your child should be in a rear-facing car seat until she is at least 2 years old. When your child outgrows the seat, move her to a forward-facing car seat.
Photo: Shutterstock
4. Inch test
Once you’ve installed your car seat, give it a tug at the base where the seat belt goes through. You shouldn’t be able to move the seat more than an inch from side to side or front to back.
5. Pinch test
Check your car seat’s manual to make sure that the harness is coming from the correct slots. Make sure that the harness is tightly buckled. The chest clip should be placed at armpit level. Pinch the strap at your child’s shoulder; if you can’t pinch any excess webbing, then it’s correctly fastened.
6. Learn how to install your car seat properly
Always read the manual first. You can also ask a professional about how to use your car seat properly, just to make sure.
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