ATLANTA (WSB/CNN) – A mother thinks padded strap covers on the car seat contributed to her baby flying out of it during a horrific vehicle crash.
Hannah McKinney is thankful her 3-month-old daughter is alive and well after the wreck.
McKinney said last month her aunt was driving her daughter, Robin, when her van went tumbling.
"It flipped like front to trunk twice," McKinney said.
Robin was ejected from her car seat and thrown to the back of the van. She suffered a hairline fracture in her upper arm and was rushed to the hospital with shards of glass in her head.
McKinney said she believes the strap covers on the car seat contributed to Robin coming loose.
"They said (the covers) probably just slid against her shirt and with the force she just popped right out of there," McKinney said.
Safety specialist Johanna Martinez said it’s not a good idea to add any after-market product to a car seat unless it’s been specifically approved by the seat’s manufacturer.
"You never want to add anything to a car seat that doesn't come with it. It's not crash-tested with the car seat," Martinez said.
Martinez demonstrated that padded strap covers can cause a safety harness to slip from a baby’s shoulders, allowing the baby to be ejected from a car seat, just like McKinney’s daughter.
"People think because they're being sold they're safe to use," Martinez said.
Copyright 2018 WSB via CNN. All rights reserved.
