Mum's chilling car seat warning after toddler's horrific crash
A traumatised mum who was heavily criticised by friends for placing her toddler son in a rear-facing car seat has told how it saved his life during a head-on smash.
Tathra Di Liberto was faced with every parent’s worst nightmare last month when she received a chilling call that her toddler son Axton, 23 months, had been involved in a severe car crash.
The 35-year-old from Lowood, in southeast Queensland, had taken her son to stay with her mother so he could spend time with his grandparents.
But the next afternoon, Ms Di Liberto and her husband Anton, 34, discovered their son, along with her mum and brother Bailey, 21, had been involved in a severe head-on collision with an ‘out of control’ car.
Thankfully, everyone survived – but Ms Di Liberto’s mum and brother were both injured, with Bailey suffering severe whiplash and seatbelt bruising.
Her mother Bronwyn had a tendon completely torn off the bone in her knee.
And while very shaken up, little Axton was left completely unscathed by the horrific crash – which firefighters, police officers and paramedics who were at the scene said was only due to his rear-facing car seat.
Despite facing backlash from friends and family who insisted Axton was “too big” to be placed in a rear-facing car seat, Ms Di Liberto said she always felt it was far safer – despite Australian guidelines stating children can be placed front-facing from six months old.
Ms Di Liberto is now calling for Australian laws to be changed so that children would need to stay in rear-facing car seats for longer – preferably until age two – which she believes could save countless lives.
“I’m just so grateful. I keep thinking about the ‘what if?’ scenarios, and it makes me feel sick,” she said.
“I think poor Axton is a bit traumatised from it though, because he cries every time as soon as I put him into the car seat now. He never did that before.
“There is a bit of debate about when kids should be turned front-facing, and I really would urge parents to keep them rear-facing for as long as possible.”
Ms Di Liberto said she wanted to spread the message, despite being criticised in the past for her car seat decision.
“At the end of the day, it can save your child’s life. I’d never want to risk it,” she said.
“Now I just want to help spread the message and raise awareness about rear-facing car seats.
“When I think about how easily we could have lost him, I get teary. My husband and I are quite traumatised by it all.
“I’m just so thankful that he is still with us. This could have had a far more tragic outcome.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
