Any experience with high back boosters and car accidents?

[rafiki]

.

[gandpsmommy]

The boys and I were in a car accident yesterday. Our MPV was rear ended by two vehicles. All three kids 9, 7, and 5 were in high back booster seats (the upper end Graco Turbos). All of us have whip lash, the child in the third row also hit his knees on the seat in front of him. Do the high back boosters automatically need replaced or how is it determined when it is a good idea to replace them? In your experience, how did you go about replacing them? What did you do with the old seats? Two of the seats are a few years old and one is only a few months old.

 

I'm so sorry this happened to you. We were in a car accident almost two years ago, so I know how scary it can be and how disruptive to your daily life all of the after-accident doctor's appointments, insurance dealings and car repairs are. When we were hit my ds was in a high-back booster and my daughter was in a regular booster. I asked the police officer at the scene of the accident if the seats were safe to use or if we should replace them. He looked at them and told me they were fine. Could you take them to a state highway patrol post and have someone look at them for you?

[momofkhm]

I have no experience with an accident and a seat at all (thankfully!). I've also heard that insurance may pay for new seats.

 

I would be safe and replace all three seats. I know it's a big chunck of money to do 3 all at once, but better safe than sorry.

 

I hope you all feel better soon. And the one set of knees as well!

 

Looking again - does your 9 yo need a seat? Can he sit with his back against the seat back, knees bent 90 degrees, belt across hips and not across neck, feet on the floor? (I think that's all the points.) If he can do all that, you only need to replace 2 seats.

 

From the AAP site:

 

Seat belts are made for adults. Your child should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly (usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age). This means

 

* The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat.

* The lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly.

* Your child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her knees bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip.

[TraceyS/FL]

Replace them.

 

You can't visable see stress on the seats. They did their job, which is a one time use kinda thing.

 

:grouphug: to you guys.

 

A better 5 step check for needing a seat is here (it's a nice flyer to print up):

 

Boosters are for Big Kids

 

http://carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm

 

 

(i'm a former CPS Tech btw way)

[camibami]

Our insurance paid for new seats, right away, and then the people hit us' insurance (that is some twisty wrong grammar, right there!) reimbursed our company. Call your agent, but they should replace them fairly quick.

[sweetfeet]

Graco says to replace after any accident. I hope you guys are doing okay today and aren't too sore.

[rafiki]

.

[TraceyS/FL]

I"d keep them in the seats - every "advancement" is a "demotion" in safety.

 

If you have head rests you might consider a low back for the oldest if it becomes an issue, but really, most kids while they want to not use them - realize how much more comfy they are AND they can normally see out better. I still remember the girl at a check for her little brother. We got her to try the booster (after about 20 minutes of talking) - and she locked herself in the van because all of a sudden the belt didn't choke her and she could see out! Grandma had to run into the store and buy her one before they left. :D

[unsinkable]

Michele,

 

:grouphug:

 

This is unsolicited but please take it easy on yourself for the next few days. Simple meals, light or no housekeeping, limit outside commitments. Let your bodies and minds process and heal.

 

:grouphug:

[skaterbabs]

Yes, the boosters need to be replaced. The insurance company of the person who hit you should pay for the replacements, but you may have to buy the replacement and then be reimbursed for them.

 

The Graco boosters are okay, but they are a tad short. Your children are somewhat petite, so that gives you more time than you otherwise would have.

 

For your five year old you may want to consider the Graco Nautilus. It's a five-point harness to 65 lbs, becomes a high back booster and then a backless booster. I generally recommend children remain harnessed full-time until around age six.

 

For your seven and nine year olds, you may want to consider the Sunshine Kids Monterey. It's tall enough that you don't really need to worry about it being outgrown before the iliac crest is mature (around age 12/13) and the Five Step Test is passed.

 

Most nine-year-olds do still need a seats. Even if they pass the Five Step Test, the iliac crest doesn't mature until puberty. This means that even with a seatbelt that does fit properly, in a crash the soft (immature) hip bones will deform ad the child can submarine under the seatbelt.

 

If you have any other questions, please ask!

Edited April 29, 2009 by skaterbabs

[Night Elf]

In the same situation, I insisted the insurance company replace my carseat. I felt the inside of it might be compromised and I didn't want to take a chance on my child's life if we were involved in another accident. I explained that the carseat did its job. It protected my child from a severe injury. I fully expected and received a new one to ensure the same level of safety.

[laurad1125]

:grouphug: That must be scary!! I hope everyone feels better soon.

 

Each time I've been in a wreck with car seats in the car, I've insisted they get replaced. That's what the manufacturers recommend and I wouldn't take any chances. You don't know (and can't tell visually) where they may have been weakened and may fail if in a wreck again.

[Caroline]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. We were in a car accident almost two years ago, so I know how scary it can be and how disruptive to your daily life all of the after-accident doctor's appointments, insurance dealings and car repairs are. When we were hit my ds was in a high-back booster and my daughter was in a regular booster. I asked the police officer at the scene of the accident if the seats were safe to use or if we should replace them. He looked at them and told me they were fine. Could you take them to a state highway patrol post and have someone look at them for you?

 

There is a phenonmenon called microcracking that cannot be seen without a microscope, sometimes even an electron microscope. Microcracking can be critical, and lead to failure of a material. I would not trust that your booster seats are fine. There could be a lot of unseen damage. My degrees are in materials science and engineering, and my dissertation was on nondestructive evaluation. An officer at a crash scene would not have the tools to check for microcracking, which can highly reduce the strength and energy absorption of a plastic.

[Mommy22alyns]

Yes, the boosters need to be replaced. The insurance company of the person who hit you should pay for the replacements, but you may have to buy the replacement and then be reimbursed for them.

 

The Graco boosters are okay, but they are a tad short. Your children are somewhat petite, so that gives you more time than you otherwise would have.

 

For your five year old you may want to consider the Graco Nautilus. It's a five-point harness to 65 lbs, becomes a high back booster and then a backless booster. I generally recommend children remain harnessed full-time until around age six.

 

For your seven and nine year olds, you may want to consider the Sunshine Kids Monterey. It's tall enough that you don't really need to worry about it being outgrown before the iliac crest is mature (around age 12/13) and the Five Step Test is passed.

 

Most nine-year-olds do still need a seats. Even if they pass the Five Step Test, the iliac crest doesn't mature until puberty. This means that even with a seatbelt that does fit properly, in a crash the soft (immature) hip bones will deform ad the child can submarine under the seatbelt.

 

If you have any other questions, please ask!

 

 

 

 

It's so good to have CPSTs around!

 

Yes, exactly what she said, including keeping the 5 year old in a five point harness.

 

No matter what anyone else says, car seats should be replaced after ANY accident, even if the kids weren't in them at the time. There are a few very stringent guidelines under which the accident is considered minor enough to bypass this; yours is definitely too severe.

 

And as another PP stated, every "step up" in carseats means a step down in safety.

[phathui5]

It is the responsibility of the driver who caused the accident to replace the car seats. We were rear-ended back in December and GEICO paid $1200 to replace our five car seats.

[skaterbabs]

There are a few very stringent guidelines under which the accident is considered minor enough to bypass this; yours is definitely too severe.

 

 

Absolutely. In addition, only one or two companies allow use of a seat after what NHTSA classifies as a "minor" crash. Graco is NOT one of them and requires replacement no matter what.

[camibami]

We have the Monterey for my almost-8-year-old, and she *loves* it. Very comfy, keeps an older but wee kid (she's 40 pounds) safe!