Parents have been reminded to ensure their young children are properly restrained in the car after a toddler was thrown 150 feet to her death when the family’s BMW crashed while she was on her mother’s lap.
Eighteen-month-old Angel Nguyan from north London had been strapped into a child seat until moments before the crash at 80 mph on the M4 near Swindon last October. Just after the baby was removed from the car seat so her mother could feed her, an under-inflated tyre blew. That caused Angel’s father to lose control of the car, which mounted a grass bank before somersaulting back on to the carriageway and ending up on its roof.
Angel was on her mother’s lap in the back and sharing her seatbelt, but the impact wrenched the girl free and she was flung through the windscreen. She was found 150 feet away with severe head injuries and died in hospital. Her parents and brother, who were still strapped in, were all unhurt.
Avon deputy coroner Brian Whitehouse said Angel’s death underlined to parents the need not just to comply with the law on child seats but also to ensure they are used at all times while driving.
Drivers are legally required to use the correct type of restraint for their child’s age until they reach either 12 or a height of 1.35 metres (4ft 5in). Please adhere.
Jackie Violet – Female First