Should I be practicing evacuations?

[doberbrat]

To make a long story short, I hit a muffler on the highway driving home on the highway and it blew a huge hole in my gas tank. I didnt realize it until a trucker forced me over and ran up to the van screaming for me to get out.

No fire thank G-D and the baby was not in the car.

DH told me the next day that I ought to be very thankful that A) it didnt blow and B) that she wasnt in the car as her car seat sits right above the gas tank and I would not have gotten her out.

She's rf in a blvd in a sienna behind my seat as thats where the latch setup is.

Should I be practicing evacuation drills? Is there something that I could buy to slash the latch belts and tether in an emergency?

Or do I just trust taht this is a once in a lifetime event and it wont happen again?

[AdoptChina]

how scary!
I have a tool in my car that has a blade to cut through seat belts and a metal tip to break the window (in case you go under water etc)

[bubbaray]

I've always wondered this. I have seen the tools and can't imagine that they would be faster than using the harness release. Maybe one of the techs will chime in?



Melissa

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[Joolsplus2]

Yiiiiiiiikes! I'm so glad you're ok!
Welllll...this is one reason other countries don't legally allow chest clips...so there's only one point to push to remove the child. Of course, then they have a huge aftermarket in chest straps to hold the harness on the kid... so just as well we have chest clips, I guess.
I'd guess (lotta guessing...sorry!) that you probably could reach around and remove a kiddo pretty quick, since it's a fairly ingrained response/action you take many times daily. You might want one of those seatbelt cutter/glass breaking thingies just in case you end up in deep water.
And hmmm...what if you're in a bad crash and the EMS needs to take the carseat out...I guess they are pretty good at undoing LATCH (here's a good argument for Alligator/miniconnectors...they must be a lot easier to quickly remove by pushing the big red buttons rather than trying to take the clip hooks off...)

Hmm... anyway, good question.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[bubbaray]

I had a firefighter tell me that (here at least) they don't even try to undo the seat (whether its installed via LATCH or l/s belt). They just cut whatever system is holding it and pull the kid out in the seat.

Scary stuff.


Melissa

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[MamaParis]

WOW! Amazing!

I'm so glad you are all ok.
How scary!



I've tought many time about what I would do to get mykids out of the car when in danger.

We live on the northshore of New Orleans and we cross a 2 lane. 24 mile long bridge over the lake at least 3 times a week - (well 6 times when you count the drive back home ..)

But there are ALWAYS people drivng off of the bridge and so on.

I keep a tool in my car within hands reach that breaks the window if we were to fall off the bridge and sink to the bottom of the lake. It also has a razor slicer thing for cutting seatbelts and a light too I think to be able to see what we're doing in the dark.


I got it after I heard about a father and son who drove off the bridge and weren't able to get out. So sad.


But I often think of how I would handle it and how I could get all 3 kids up to the surface safely.





But I think it would just be instinct for me to unbuckle the kids as fast as I could.
But just in case something happened and I couldn't reach the buckle or something was in the way or something like that the I like knowing I still have my seatbelt cuttermabob with me.

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

yes... because in a crash, they want to keep the spine and neck as still as possible.

And, in any type of incident where there could be fire, nothing is quicker than just cutting the belt/latch and snatching the whole thing out of the vehicle.

this is another reason why harnessed seats are better than boosters and why I prefer carseats you have to install vs. built-in ones