Laredo Wrongful Death Attorney J. Gonzalez

Texas Seat Belt Laws Regarding Children

As the 4^th of July weekend approaches, it’s a good time to familiarize yourself with Texas seat belt laws covering children. Failure to follow the law can lead to serious injury or even death, and it potentially could reduce the amount of compensation received due to comparative negligence.

Child Safety Seat Requirements

Texas law mandates that children under eight years old and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches must be secured in a child safety seat or booster seat appropriate for their age and size.

Here’s how to measure:

1. Seated Height:

Have the child sit with their back against a wall, legs crossed. Mark the wall at the top of their head and the top of their shoulders. Measure the distance from the floor to each mark.

2. Torso Height:

Have the child sit with their back against a wall, legs crossed. Mark the wall at the top of their shoulders. Measure the distance from the floor to the shoulder mark.

For rear-facing car seats: the child’s head should be at least one inch below the top of the car seat shell. For forward-facing car seats, the child’s ears should be below the top of the car seat shell, and the

Booster seats:

Children should be at least 4’9″ tall, and the seat belt should fit properly across their hips and chest without being near their neck or face.

Always consult the car seat manual. It will provide specific height and weight limits for each type of car seat harness straps should be at or above the shoulders.

Comparative Negligence and claims

If a child is injured in an accident while not properly restrained, the driver or caregiver could be found partially at fault (comparative negligence) for the injuries, even if they weren’t the primary cause of the accident. This means a court could reduce the amount of compensation awarded to the child or their family to reflect the degree to which the lack of proper restraint contributed to the injuries.

Seek Legal Advice

If your child is injured in an accident, the use of seat belts and booster seats can impact your claim for damages. The personal injury attorneys at the J. Gonzalez Law firm are among the most-experienced in Texas when it comes to seat belt laws. They also know that seat belts and safety seats can sometimes fail despite a parent’s best efforts to use them properly.

Don’t decide your case on your own. Talk to one of our personal injury lawyers

Your first consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we obtain the settlement you deserve. Make any appointment today via this website or by calling 1-800-CAR-CRASH.

Seven-year-old dies in Laredo crash on his birthday

LAREDO – A young boy died on his seventh birthday after a rollover crash in Central Laredo.

Police say a Chevy Tahoe was driving south on U.S. 83 near Market Street around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, May 22. The driver, a 27-year-old woman, reportedly lost control of the SUV and crashed into a cement wall. The impact caused the vehicle to roll over several times.

Inside the SUV were four people: the mother and her three children, ages three, seven, and nine.

Police confirmed that the seven-year-old, identified as Arturo DeHoyos III, was thrown from the vehicle. He later died at the hospital on what was his birthday.

The other two children and their mother were also taken to the hospital. As of Thursday morning, March 22, they are in stable condition.

Laredo police spokesman Jose Espinoza said investigators are now reviewing security camera footage from nearby businesses to figure out what happened.

“Investigators are seeing surveillance of possible nearby businesses to get more information as to how this accident happened,” Espinoza said.

Source: https://www.lmtonline.com/local/article/laredo-pd-child-ejected-car-crash-20339566.php