2-year-old boy not in car seat fell out of moving vehicle in south Sacramento, CHP says
A 2-year-old boy fell out of a moving vehicle onto a busy street in south Sacramento last weekend after his mother failed to properly restrain him in a child safety seat, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The incident occurred about 4:20 p.m. Sunday as the mother was driving with her son in the backseat of her vehicle, the CHP South Sacramento Area Office announced in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
CHP officials said the mother did not restrain the toddler in a car seat or activate child safety locks in the vehicle. Instead, the mother told the CHP she used a regular seat belt to secure her child in the right rear seat of the vehicle.
As the vehicle made a left turn from eastbound Mack Road to northbound Stockton Boulevard, the mother saw her vehicle’s right rear door open, and she heard other drivers honking their vehicle’s horns at her, according to the CHP.
The mother stopped her vehicle in the middle of the intersection and found her child on the ground in the middle of the busy street, CHP officials said.
A CHP officer, who was at the same intersection, helped to stop traffic and called for an ambulance. The CHP reported that the child was not hit by any vehicles and had no apparent injuries.
Medics who were called to the scene decided the toddler should be taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento as a precaution.
“As a result of this totally preventable incident, charges of child endangerment will be recommended to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office,” CHP officials said in the news release.
The CHP reminded all drivers that state law requires all children to be properly restrained in a child safety seat, booster seat or other restraint system in the back seat until the child is 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall. California law also requires that children younger than 2 years old ride with the seat rear facing.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 5:31 PM.
