Grandma now charged. Child dragged behind SUV after door flies open while vehicle in motion. Car seat was not properly secured

Updated Apr. 4 2009

City police charged a 58-year-old grandmother Friday after her grandson tumbled out of a moving truck while still in his car seat and was dragged several metres.

The 21/2-year-old boy was taken to the Stollery Children's Hospital with road rash to his head, chest and arms, Sgt. Erik Johnson said.

The woman was travelling west on 23rd Avenue near 99th Street. The lap belt was pulled across the boy's car seat when he opened the door and fell out. He was dragged about six metres, Johnson said.

The woman, who was headed for Leduc, was travelling through a construction zone at the time so her speed was between 10 and 20 kilometres per hour when the boy fell out.

Other motorists behind her saw the boy tumble out and were able to stop in time, Johnson said.

Had the incident happened at highway speeds, the outcome would have been far worse, Johnson said.

"Obviously, we want parents to gain knowledge on how to properly install car seats which they can get through AMA (Alberta Motor Association) or Capital Health and we want them to lock the doors," he said.

The AMA says nearly 25 per cent of injuries suffered by children involving motor vehicles happen in incidents such as sudden stops, swerves, turns or the child's movements within the vehicle.

Putting a child in a properly installed and approved car seat with the doors locked can eliminate most of these incidents.

Johnson said he hopes Friday's incident acts as a wake-up call to parents or anyone travelling with a young child to educate themselves on the proper use of car seats.

The grandmother was issued a ticket for failing to properly secure a child car seat. Had her grandson been severely injured, "she would have been criminally charged," Johnson said.


ALBERTA - A 2 1/2-year-old boy strapped in a car seat fell out of a truck and was dragged for 20 feet in south Edmonton Friday afternoon.

Police say the SUV was on 23rd Avenue travelling westbound between 99 Street and 104th Street when the incident occurred.

"The back door opened, a child seat containing a child was dragged for about 20 feet. (The child) was on his face at one point," said Sgt. Erik Johnson with the Edmonton Police.

Emergency crews on scene said the boy's car seat was not secured properly inside the vehicle and the child somehow managed to open the back door causing the seat to fall out.

The child's grandmother was driving the SUV and was traveling at a low speed through a construction zone in the area.

Witnesses say the boy was conscious and crying. He suffered facial injuries and is being treated at the Stollery Children's Hospital.

The grandmother was headed for the highway to travel to Leduc when the incident happened.

With files from CTV