Like most parents in Georgia, you prioritize your baby’s safety above everything else. While you may want to lock your young one in a tower to protect him or her forever, you realize this approach is not practical. Eventually, you must strap your infant or toddler into a car seat and hit the road.
Following any automobile accident, you must take certain steps to recover fully and protect your legal rights. When a car collision involves a baby, however, you must be even more careful to ensure your young passenger receives the best care possible.
1. Keep your child in the car seat
Your infant or toddler probably cannot speak well enough to tell you whether he or she has sustained an injury in a car collision. Therefore, you should assume your child has musculoskeletal injuries until a doctor tells you otherwise. Rather than moving your young one, keep him or her strapped inside the car seat to prevent further injury.
2. Seek medical treatment
Sometimes, injuries can take days, weeks or longer to appear. Even if your child seems to have survived the accident without injury, you should seek medical treatment immediately. A pediatrician can examine your baby and tell you whether you need a follow-up visit.
3. Get important information
During a car wreck, your child may sustain long-term injuries. As you probably suspect, medical treatment is often costly. Before you leave the accident scene, make sure you obtain the personal details and insurance information from all involved drivers. Also, contact the police to create a formal record of the accident.
4. Replace your car seat
Car seats are often expensive. Nonetheless, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends replacing child car seats after moderate or severe collisions. During these events, tiny cracks can appear inside the restraint system. Even if the seat looks fine after an accident, it may not function as its manufacturer intended.
You may never have to worry about an automobile collision involving your infant or toddler. Nevertheless, you should understand how to prepare both yourself and your child for a car wreck. With a bit of effort, you can likely increase the chances your young passenger will emerge from a collision without significant injuries.