In Local News / By Danny Tan / 29 May 2017 12:28 pm / 97 comments

A tragic accident happened on the North-South Highway yesterday that claimed a young life. Bernama reports that a three-month old baby boy died after the car that he was in was knocked-off the road by a stray vehicle at KM433.8 northbound near Kuala Kubu Baru.

The baby, named Aril Rizqin Redza Shahril, was confirmed dead at the Sungai Buloh Hospital. The car was driven by his father Shahril Salleh. The victim’s father, mother and two brothers – aged 4 and 11 – sustained minor injuries.

The footage above is from the dashcam of Kugan Kathegesen, who was just behind when the accident occurred. It shows the white hatchback minding its own business in the slow lane when a black sedan from the middle lane slowly veered to the left.

It initially nudged the white car, before bouncing back for a full shoulder barge that knocked it off the road and into the drain. The offending car, driven by one S. Nishanty according to Hulu Selangor police, then spun into the divider.

Eyewitness Kugan stopped to help the extricate the baby, who was trapped in the car. The young victim was removed from the vehicle bloody and motionless, according to the kind soul. PLUS’ highway patrol called for the ambulance, which arrived 30 minutes later.

It fills us with sadness and anger to learn about this incident and to see how it happened – a completely innocent family now mourns their loss child. The victim’s parents did invest in a child seat, but as seen in other images, it was found outside of the car and Kugan did not notice a child seat when lending help. As the rest of the family escaped with minor injuries, a properly installed child seat might have made a difference.

It’s a reminder for parents with young children – remember to provide the right type of child seats and ensure that the seats are correctly installed for maximum protection. Then, the child must be strapped in properly. The most common mistakes include:

Child seat installed incorrectly or too loose – very common.

Inappropriate car seat for the child’s age, height and weight, i.e. three-year-old in an infant carrier, or in a booster seat.

Child seat installed, but child not bucked in or very loosely harnessed – either because child complained it’s too tight, or child unbuckled themselves.

Child harnessed, but seat not installed – parents thinking as long as the child is buckled in, they’re safe.

Incorrect harness slot used – certain seats require harness slot changes as the child grows.

Using damaged or expired car seats.

Remember to tick the above checklist before setting off, even for short journeys. Make sure both the child seat and the child are properly harnessed. The video above shows you what to look out for, and how it’s done. Let’s make it a habit.