Every year, tens of thousands of children are injured in car accidents. Accidents can be especially dangerous to them in terms of injuries because of their size so it’s important to know how to care for children after/during a traffic accident.
Prevention of injuries:
Always double check that your children are buckled into the car properly. As children get older, they grow out of certain types of car seats into ones that will protect them better – check with local regulations to ensure your child has not outgrown their car seat or booster seat. Work with your kids to promote safe backseat behavior as well – staying seated, not yelling to distract the driver, etc.
During the accident:
While your first instinct as a parent will be to get your child, it is incredibly important that you make sure your vehicle is in a safe area as soon as the accident happens. From there you can check to see that your child is alright and to start looking for injuries. Once you know everyone is safe, exchange information with the other party, take pictures, and file a police report (click here for a comprehensive checklist!).
After the accident:
We always recommend that anyone in a car accident sees a doctor soon after an accident, and this goes for children as well. Continue to monitor your child after the accident for a few days after the incident to ensure they don’t develop any hidden (and extremely dangerous symptoms).
Tad Morlan has helped thousands of people with any variety of traffic accidents. Whether it’s a car accident, semi-truck accident, or motorcycle accident, contact Tad Morlan today for a free, no-obligation consultation!
