A Massachusetts mom warns other parents after her 8-year-old son is almost suffocated by a car seat belt. Siobhan Sherbovich explained that on Saturday, she had an ice cream date with her children Brayden, 8, and Maya, 3. They were driving home when suddenly, she heard a struggle in the backseat of her car.
Son got tangled in seat belt
Somehow, Brayden got tangled in his seat belt that is hanging from the ceiling. Because of that, he started struggling with breathing. Sherbovich told TODAY Parents that the seatbelt got completely twisted around her son's neck.
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A few moments later, Brayden turned blue. The 37-year-old mom said that she saw blood coming out of her third-grade son's nose and mouth. Then, she noticed that his head was three times its normal size.
She explained further that her son's tongue was hanging out of his mouth. After that, Brayden became completely unconscious. Sherbovich quickly went into a nearby hair salon because she could not release her son from the locking mechanism of the seatbelt.
Performed CPR to revive son
She grabbed a pair of scissors and freed her child. After that, she started performing CPR to revive her son, based on the police report. Finally, Brayden was able to gasp for air and then he asked what had happened.
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According to the police report, they brought Brayden to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Bedford Police responded to the scene to document everything that happened. Doctors treated the child for his injuries and cleared him to resume normal activities.
Shares her story to raise awareness
Sherbovich explained that her son would be working with a therapist to relieve him of psychological trauma. Although she finds it difficult to recount what had happened to her son, she wants to share her story to raise awareness.
Sherbovich said that everyone should be ready with seatbelt cutters. She explained that she would not know what to do if there was not any salon around during the incident.
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National Safety Council (NSC) senior program manager of transportation safety, Amy Artuso, agrees with Sherbovich. She recommends that a seat belt cutter should be securely stored in their console at all times. She explained that it should be a part of the emergency kit of their vehicle.
She added that seat belts are not for all sizes. So she also said that it would be best to have a certified child passenger safety technician assess your car and child. It is the best way to maximize safety.
Safety.com security reporter, Jalesa Campbell, said that parents should give their children a tutorial on seat belts before they graduate from car seats. Campbell said that there have been 11 deaths from being strangled in seat belts since 1990.
