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If you’re ever in a car accident with your little one, there’s one thing that you should never do!
In a video shared on the Tiny Hearts Education Instagram page, Nikki Jurcutz, a former paramedic says that if you can help it, do not remove your child from their car seat.
In the caption, she explains that although all you’ll want to do is comfort your child after an accident, you could make their injuries worse (if they have any).
“The impact of a car accident can be significant on a little body. Serious spinal injuries and internal bleeding are common,” she writes.
“Any accident that is above >60km/ph, or that causes significant damage to the car, where people are injured, or you have a child in the car – you should call 000.”
Once the paramedics are on the way, you have three options:
“If possible, leave the child in the car seat, do not remove and wait for paramedics’ instructions,” she says.
If for some reason, you do need to remove your child from the car, unclip the entire seat and remove it from the car with your child still in it.
Lastly, if your car is smoking and you need to get your baby out of the car quickly, “or your child is thrashing around and potentially causing more harm, remove the child and hold them still against your body until paramedics arrive.”
If your car was traveling more than 60km/h, your child will need to be taken to the hospital to be assessed.
“Keeping your child still and calm in a situation where a potential spinal injury or internal injuries have occurred is life-saving,” the post says.
In the comments, one parent asked a very important question.
“Might be a stupid question – If unconscious you would remove the child from the car seat to start CPR yes? Sorry didn’t hear it mentioned in the video.”
If your little one is unconscious, you should definitely remove them from the car seat.
“Absolutely you would remove them, in this situation we apply the rule of life over a limb and will move them despite the potential to cause further injury as their airway takes precedent in that situation ❤️❤️ great question, I did mention it but so easy to miss I talk fast.”
Lots of parents thanked Tiny Hearts for sharing this tip because it would be their first instinct to get their children out of their seats.
One parent wrote: “So so important thank you for sharing I didn’t even this my instinct would definitely have been to grab them out 😮”
Another added: “Makes total sense but I would never have thought! So thank you for spreading awareness.”
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