PLEASANT VIEW, Tenn. (WTVF) — Firefighters said a properly installed car seat likely saved a toddler’s life following an interstate pileup.
On Interstate 24 East around 9:28 a.m. on Wednesday, Pleasant View Volunteer firefighter Jarrod Chandler responded to an eight-car pileup.
“Thank God there were no injuries, but there was a lot of heavy damage," Chandler said. "I think there were three semi-trucks.”
At the front of the line, there was a Nissan Sentra with a kid in the back seat.
“It’s the scariest thing in the world, your heart and stomach automatically sink because the last thing you want to see is a child hurt," Chandler said. “The passenger side was caved in completely, so it was at a like 45-degree angle, and I give credit to the car seat for holding up that left side where the child was sitting.”
He said it’s a miracle no one was hurt but the toddler was taken to the hospital as a precaution. As a new dad, it hits close to home.
“When I took the car seat technician class, my baby was 3 months old, and so the whole time it’s like I got to focus I got to make sure I’m doing this right,” Chandler said.
Now, he helps other families make sure their car seats are installed correctly.
“So make sure when you’re doing a car seat, you push it down as much as you can, tighten that up as much as you can, and then that car seat’s not going anywhere,” Chandler said.
Ironically on Saturday, they had a scheduled car seat safety check. It’s from 12 to 2 p.m. It’s open to the public at the fire station.
“We’re not going to tell you how you’re wrong, we’re just going to show you how you can do it right,” Chandler said.
Another reminder: parents need to make sure their car seats and boosters aren't expired.
