Virginian mom, Shelly Martin, has learned things the hard way. After her six-year-old daughter miraculously survived being sliced in the stomach by a seat belt during a collision, the mother is spreading booster seat awareness and hopes no one could make the same mistake as hers.
CBS News reports that the Samantha Swartwout's mother warns fellow parents about the risks of not using booster seats, even for big kids. Martin said that just because one thinks her kid is big enough, it doesn't mean booster seats aren't needed. They are — and in fact, she said that it takes only a few seconds to assemble the live-saving gear and it will definitely save somebody at times of distress.
Early in September, Martin received a call from her daughter's father, informing her of their ill-fated situation when the car veered off the road and struck a tree 200 kilometers away. The little girl sustained major injuries as her intestines peeked through her abdomen and a concussion.
As per Today, Swartwout's father just reportedly forgot to use the booster seat. Pediatric Surgery chairman at VCU's Children's Hospital of Richmond, Dr. Charles Bagwell, said that with such an extreme force, the seat belt acted as a knife which caused her belly fat and muscle to be shred.
The crash made the six-year-old hospitalized for nearly three weeks, and luckily, she was released from VCU Medical Center in early October. Currently, Swartwout is recovering physically and is also being psychologically treated from her traumatic experience.
Martin further said that her daughter is seeing a psychology doctor to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder from further developing. The recovering little girl is still reportedly in shock and upset for having so many limitations due to her condition.
"She'll try to build a fort with her blankets but she can't because she can't bend over. She will cry. 'How can other kids do this?' and 'When will I be normal?'" Martin added. "If we can raise awareness and save another child then at least we can bring something good out of this."
