Restraints - eekitsaspider - eekitsaspider's Blog - Tehachapi News

Feb 27, 2007 at 04:02 PM : The story in the...

The story in the Californian is about a 4 month old baby who's mother was having an asthma attack. It is not that easy to restrain an infant in a car seat on the way to the emergency room. It was not reckless endangerment. It was rushed, panicked and motherly to hold the baby in her lap rather than strap the baby in an "appropriate seat" as she was gasping for air.

We are a little extreme with our car seat laws. They are necessary in accidents, and you never know when an accident is coming. But there was a day when kids could sit in the front seat, and I remember sitting on dad's lap "driving" too. At 5 or 6 years old. Not that safe... sure. We all know that now. In this case, however, the mother and grandmother are just concerned about the baby. They did their best. They lost her. Aren't they going through enough?

Feb 27, 2007 at 04:02 PM : Yes i agree they are...

Yes i agree they are going through enough with losing the child. That is something i would never want to experience and it saddens me a great deal to hear of someone losing a child. But here is a comment that someone said when i was telling the story to them " if the mother was that bad off with an asthma attack then why didnt they just call an ambulance?". Everyone makes mistakes and it is sad that it cost a child's life.

But lastnite when the people had 2 children without a car seat and they were at a store to shop there is NO EXCUSE for that whatsover in my opinion. Sure back in the day there was no such thing as car seats or seat belts and children were allowed to sit on dad's lap. But today we have learned that it is dangerous and can kill and that is a risk i am not willing to take. And i cannot understand why anyone would take the chance.

Feb 27, 2007 at 05:02 PM : I see your point...

I see your point beekeeper and I feel sick with grief for that family's loss and suffering.
Sadly, the enforcement of safety seat laws only seems to come to the fore when there's been a tragedy like this. It might be more effective to ask families who have suffered from these tragedies to help promote the use of safety seats.
I used to be allowed to help "drive' when I was a kid also. And riding in the back of the truck was the absolute coolest although I was never allowed to sit on top of the wheel wells. But we learned from those mistakes, sadly after many innocent lives were lost. Which is why we have these kinds of restraints now - although Consumer Reports recently made then withdrew a claim that said most infant car seats failed safety crash tests. I know I often struggled with installing them correctly and worried about it endlessly when my kids were smaller. Here's a link with more info: www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.9f8c7d6359e0e9bbbf30811060008a0c/

Feb 27, 2007 at 07:02 PM : I disagree with...

I disagree with beekeeper 110%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is never ever a reason not to have a child in a car seat!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They should have called 911, they would have had an ambulance there within 6 minutes. They decided to rush to the hospital speeding and running red lights instead. I have personally seen the damage done to kids by uncaring or negligent parents. It takes less then a minute to put a kid in a car seat. Requiring a car seat is not an extreme law!! I have never had to unbuckle a dead person, or take a dead baby out of a car seat. I have picked up way to many off the road however! We need to prosecute parents that don't do the right thing. A $60 fine is way to little! Why do we require people to take a test to drive a car, but any idiot can have a child? If you see people driving with kids improperly restrained, it is your job as a responsible person to call 911 and report them! After mom and grandmother get out of jail then let them make the rounds talking about car seats.

Feb 27, 2007 at 09:02 PM : Pain, I think you are...

Pain, I think you are right on on this issue. If someone can buckle themselves in, they can buckle in their kid to a car seat. Secondly, in a emergency it's best to call 911 from your car. With all the tragedy and accidents on the 202 that involved children in the last year. why would anyone take such a chance?

Feb 27, 2007 at 09:02 PM : I saw a young girl...

I saw a young girl driving by Kmart the other day, and thought the infant was restrained, he/she was in the front seat, facing forward and the Mother was driving with one hand and bottle feeding it with the other. I kick myself in the ass for not getting her license plate # and reporting her. It happened so fast. So, yes I think they should be reported.

Feb 27, 2007 at 09:02 PM : Does anyone know why...

Does anyone know why their aren't any seat belts on school buses? And what is your opinion on this Shane since you have seen the outcome of no seat belts? And why isn't it illegal that all buses don't have seat belts when it is for everyone else? When you have a baby, you can't take the baby home until you have a car seat. Don't you think it might be helpful that not only do the hospitals check for a car seat but that it is put in correctly. Especially for a new parent.

Feb 27, 2007 at 10:02 PM : Shane, these two...

Shane, these two people are not "uncaring or negligent parents" - They were in a medical emergency. I agree, of course, that children should be in car seats. They can die without them. Yes. There is no doubt about that. But, please, 6 minutes and they would be ok with a 911 call? Imagine a Bear Valley resident, for example, to localize the story... Would they get full response in 6 minutes. If they hadn't made it to the hospital in time in the ambulance and the mother died instead of the child, we would all be saying: Why didn't she just have her mother drive her?? Negligent mother and grandmother in this situation is irrelevant.

On another note, I have an "aquaintence" who on a recent cross country road trip, kept her 7 month old strapped in the car seat the entire way. When it was time to breast feed, instead of having the driver pull the vehicle to side of the road, or, goodness sakes, "holding the baby" to feed him, she would, kid you not, get up in the back of the SUV so that she was nearly standing and feed the baby by standing ove him in his seat while the vehicle was in motion. I know this example is extreme, but it happens too. "Negligence" has its obverse.

Feb 28, 2007 at 08:02 AM : Here is another...

Here is another question on this subject:

If the mother of the baby had enough time to call her mother to come over so she could take her to the hospital then why didn't she have time to call 911 or find a car seat? Just seems like there was alot of time wasted there and not enough time spent on thinking about the safety of her child...

Feb 28, 2007 at 09:02 AM : "Mom, I am having...

"Mom, I am having an attack, can you come get me?"
"Sure, I'm on my way."
In the meantime, the mother is looking for the car seat to put the baby in. She is searching for it until the grandmother gets there. She is there now, and they panic and decide not to be negligent women and leave a baby home alone, or wait even LONGER for an ambulance, and just left.
We don't know the situation, maybe she didn't want to go in an ambulance? Cost? I really think that arresting these two women is very extreme. Put yourself in the situation. You can't find the car seat and you are beginning to fear for your own life? Would you think that if you tried to get to the hospital and lost your daughter's life on the way that you should be arrested? Would you really sit there and wait for an ambulance after your mother already showed up to take you? Are you really a negligent parent becuae the car seat wasn't available? It's not like she didn't own one. She just couldn't find it.

Feb 28, 2007 at 10:02 AM : If I was in her shoes...

If I was in her shoes i would of called 911 and then my mother. And there is no way i would put an infant in a car without a carseat. My mom could of stayed there with the child while the ambulance took me to the hospital and i got the needed treatments. I have 3 children ranging from 15 years old to 7 years old and i have NEVER allowed them into a car without a carseat or a seatbelt, no matter what the situation.

And if cost was an issue i can understand that completly. But in an emergency i would not care about the cost i would only care about getting the needed help.

Feb 28, 2007 at 10:02 AM : Nobody is saying that...

Nobody is saying that what the mother and grandmother did is 100% right. But the reality is that they are already paying a price. They are going to question themselves for the rest of their lives. I am just saying, that arresting these women is unjust. They made a mistake. And it is unfair to say that none of us wouldn't do the same in the situation. The mom could have died on the way to the hospital after waiting that long for the ambulance. None of these possibilities make it right. But arresting them? It's just my opinion, but it seems like the system is just going a little far.

Feb 28, 2007 at 10:02 AM : I do have to agree...

I do have to agree with beekeeper. I am a parent and nothing means more to me than my children. I would gladly give my life for thiers. As I'm sure so would the mom and grandmother in the above story. As they say hindsight is 20/20. But what would we benefit from these women going to jail? What would jail teach them or punish them that they are not doing to themselves now. It was an emergency and sometimes everyone doesn't do the right thing. They get scared, they get confused, and not all of us are good under pressure. It's not like they had the car seat and didn't use it. As a parent there have been times where my child has rode in another car and we forgot to get the seat out. I do not think I am the only this has happen to. I think the parents who don't restrain their children when they go to the store, or some trivial errand are worse than a parent reacting to an emotional emergency. I too have taken my child to the hospital not in a car seat. He had gotten bit by a friends chow/wolf mix when he was 4 years old. We were coming from Green Street, so my son's face is bleeding profusely, screaming in pain and fear. I jump in the car with my friend that is holding my son and we go to the hospital. I didn't call 911, my son wasn't in a car seat but being held and comforted during the 3 minute ride to the hospital. Should I be in jail? Should the tax payers be paying for my stay because I am a danger to society? Was I wrong, probably. Should I be in jail, your call---the tax payers and law makers. Child endangerment--Willful Child Endangerment--do we know the difference in these two charges. Neglect? There is a chance our children will get kidnapped or assaulted by a child molester, or get hit on their bike, or get a snake bite or broken bones playing a school sport----are we endangering our children or neglect, should we all go to jail? Bakersfield has smog, smog is bad, we let children breathe that, we are endangering them. Please, this is a very tragic accident---do we remember what an accident means before we start pointing fingers and suing everyone and their mother. This is all just too much!!!-

Feb 28, 2007 at 12:02 PM : I agree alot with what...

I agree alot with what both beekeeper and colitas are saying. There alot of questions about the entire story but that will be left to the law to sort out and decide the fate of the mother and grandmother. I just hope that this story will get people to think twice before getting into a car with a child and not secureing them in a car seat or safety belt.

Feb 28, 2007 at 06:02 PM : Why didn't they...

Why didn't they leave the baby with her other child and roommate? The baby died because both were negligent parents! They didn't live in Bear Valley they lived in Metro Bakersfield.

KGET news story posted today!

BAKERSFIELD - Two women -- accused in the no-child-safety-seat car crash death of a 4-month-old -- lied to investigators, according to reports filed in support of criminal charges against them.

Mother and daughter Brenda and Sandy Stockman left Sandy's 6-year-old with Sandy's ''live-in companion'' just before the accident, and could have left the baby, according to the reports. The reports identified the companion as Tanya Roscoe, but don't say what is meant by "live-in companion." The statement by the roommate directly contradicts statements by Brenda, 46, and Sandy, 26, who told officers they had no choice but to take the baby in the car without a safety seat.

The reports accompany misdemeanor charges filed against the two in court this afternoon. At that first hearing, Brenda pleaded not guilty to allegations of vehicular manslaughter and child cruelty. Sandy, accused only of child cruelty, has not been to court yet.

The report says the women were hastily arrested Monday because Brenda was considered a flight risk.

After the accident, the women told a compelling story. Earlier in the day, they said, Kayden's aunt took the baby to a doctor's appointment, and the child's car safety seat was inadvertently left in the aunt's car.

Brenda and Sandy said they were alone with the baby shortly before 8 p.m. when Sandy began having an asthma attack.

Sandy couldn't drive, the women said. They couldn't leave Kayden alone, they said.

So they took off for Memorial Hospital on 34th Street. Brenda drove the Toyota Rav-4 as Sandy held the baby in her lap in the back seat, a single safety belt around them both, the women said.

Brenda was flashing the car's lights and honking her horn as she raced to the hospital. On Chester Avenue, she ran a red light to turn left from southbound Chester onto eastbound Columbus Street, she said. The car was struck by a northbound pickup truck.

Sandy suffered a broken thumb. Brenda was thrown against the windshield and suffered a hairline hip fracture. The baby died at the hospital. The case became a hot topic in Bakersfield. Most callers to talk radio agreed that children need to be in safety seats. But if, for some reason, no seat is available and there is a medical emergency, what's a mother to do?

Now, police say the accident just didn't happen that way. The women could have left the baby with Sandy's roommate, but instead chose to take her on the high-speed run to the hospital, according to reports.

Mar 1, 2007 at 01:03 PM : Shane I agree with you...

Shane I agree with you 110 %. There is no excuse not to put a child in a car seat. It would have only taken a minute. That extra minute will cost them a lifetime of pain.

Mar 1, 2007 at 02:03 PM : I agree with Shane...

I agree with Shane too. The mother and grandmother were negligent. They didn't do what they were supposed to do. They didn't secure the child in her car seat. I know it can be difficult to put a wiggling and screaming baby into a car seat but it MUST be done. An asthma attack can be life threatening but not putting an infant in his/her car seat is more important than the few extra minutes to get to the hospital.

Mar 1, 2007 at 03:03 PM : I agree that car seats...

I agree that car seats MUST be used. It is the law, it is logical, it is right thing to do. But I think the true question of this blog is should the mother and grandmother go to prison for this? The story has been updated and it isn't likely now that they will go to prison now, but when the blog was created that was unknown because the were arrested with serious charges. Like I said before I've made my mistakes, no one else has?

Mar 1, 2007 at 06:03 PM : I am a carseat freak!...

I am a carseat freak! My kids each have a Britax carseat that cost an arm and a leg and they are never in a car without being properly put in one. We have moved cross country 4 times and they make the 40 hour drive in the carseat and if they need something then we wait until we are pulled over and they get it. When the babies were infants I would have to stop every hour to get them out and get them happy again but they never are allowed in a car without a carseat. We come to Tehachapi to visit and the kids and I stay with different family members and it is a pain in the butt to move the seats around, but oh well. I have even taught my four year old how to buckle hers and how it should fit. When we were home last time my sister-in-law called me to let me know that when she took my daughter to the store she had buckled her in wrong and my daughter told her that she needed to fix it because she was not allowed to ride in it until it was right. It may be extra work but my kids are worth it. I could never forgive myself if something happened to them because I was lazy.

Mar 1, 2007 at 06:03 PM : If there was someone...

If there was someone there to watch over the baby and they did not leave the baby there with that person then yes there should be charges made. Anyone with any common sense would not allow a child into a car without proper restraints such as a carseat or seat belt, no matter what the situation. The safety of a child is a serious thing and i do not think these women were thinking about that their biggest concern was getting to the hospital.

Mar 2, 2007 at 09:03 PM : I don't have...

I don't have strong opinions about too many things but car seats is definitely one of them that I do have VERY strong opinions about. I agree with Shane 100%!! There is absolutely no excuse for not having a child restrained in a car seat! I have seen so many children severly injured or die because their parents (the person they are supposed to be able to trust more than any other in the world) did not take 1 minutes time to buckle them up. And not only do people need to buckle the kids in the car seat but they need to make sure the car seat is PROPERLY buckled into the car.

It always amazes and angers me when I see an innocent child riding down the street unrestrained. I don't know about anyone else but my children are the world to me and I go out of my way to do whatever I can to keep them safe. Car seats SAVE lives! And car seats are not just for young children, a child should not be out of a car seat because they are 6 years old. Car seats should not be looked on as an inconvenience that you can finally get rid of when the child turns 6. I personally have my children in a car seat and they are both 6 or over. I am so glad that they are starting to advertise more on t.v etc about the importance of a child being in a car seat until they are 4'9.

Another important issue associated with the car seats is that children should not be sitting in the front seat of a vehicle unless there is no other choice. The back seat is the safest place for them.

Someone else said that they require you to have a car seat before you can take your new baby home from the hospital. They need to also have a mandatory parenting class before you can take that child home with regular updates for changing laws, safety, etc. God forbid our country put any effort into creating the safest situation for an innocent child. But it's so important that you have to have a license to catch a fish...AMAZING!!

Mar 2, 2007 at 09:03 PM : RStott...I also have...

RStott...I also have the Britax car seats for my girls. They are more expensive but my kids are priceless:)

Mar 3, 2007 at 08:03 AM : I agree with...

I agree with luvmy2girls there should be some type of parenting class for new parents. Children do not come with instructions. I know when i became a mom for the first time i was clueless on how to take care of a new baby. I would of loved to taken a class so i would of been more prepared. Luckily i was staying with my Parents so my mom helped alot but not everyone has that option.

And i personally feel that those that do not put their child into a carseat/seatbelt are endangering the lives of their children and they should face severe consequences.

Mar 3, 2007 at 04:03 PM : I agree with Shane...

I agree with Shane 100% also! My daughter is 5 yrs old and plenty tall to be in a booster seat, but the idea of not having her in a 5 point harness scares me! I would NEVER go anywhere without having my kids buckled in. I believe it is a good idea to think ahead so during events you have already thought things through. Since my husband works 48 hr shifts I know that if anything happened while he was gone I'd be calling 911. I am one of 11 kids!! I have seen many of my siblings hurt and rushed to the hospital. Once my little brother had a seizure near the Keene exit on 58. He actually stopped breathing and my mom pulled over on the side of the road and was breathing for him. Once he started breathing again she put him BACK IN HIS CARSEAT and drove straight to the hospital. Also we have had rides to the hospital with people bleeding, ect. everyone was buckled in!!

More and more I have noticed people that do not have their kids in carseats or even in the proper type of car seats. Like young kids in boosters who are way too small for one!! I know they're cheap, but come on this is your kids safety. It honestly upsets me ALOT!

I also think buses not having seatbelts is one of the dumbest things ever! One reason why I'll probably always drive my kids to school.