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Crash killed boy sitting on lap instead of car seat
Josh Cascio reports
POLK CITY, Fla. - Troopers are still looking for a car that sped off from a crash on Interstate 4 in Polk County that killed a 3-year-old Sunday.
Investigators say Josiah King would likely still be alive if he was properly placed in a car seat, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers say a light-colored sedan changed lanes and clipped the back of a Nissan Versa. The contact spun the car into the center guardrail.
The six people inside are from the Fort Myers area. Five of them suffered minor injuries. They were all wearing seatbelts. But Josiah was sitting on the lap of one of the passengers in the back seat, according to FHP.
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“Car seats have been known to save lives. That’s the bottom line,” explained Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Safe Kids Supervisor Petra Vybiralova. “I like to urge parents to always use the appropriate car seat for their child and correctly install it in their vehicle.”
Meanwhile, investigators are still looking for the sedan that caused the deadly crash.
“We don’t leave the scene of an accident. Don’t take a bad situation like a crash and make it worse,” said FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins.
Charges are pending in the case against the hit-and-run driver and potentially the driver of the Nissan for allowing the child to be on a lap rather than in a car seat. Officials say child abuse or child neglect charges may also apply.