Mother cited after I-290 rollover; infant still in critical
An infant who was seriously injured in a rollover accident on I-290 on June 6 remains in critical condition, and the boy's mother, who was driving the vehicle, has been cited for failing to properly install his car seat, police said.
The baby's mother was driving a Ford Explorer in the eastbound lanes of I-290 about 3:40 p.m. June 6 when the vehicle struck the right wall of the expressway and rolled over near Irving Park Road, according to police.
The boy was airlifted to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago after paramedics stabilized him, but he remained in critical condition with brain injuries and multiple fractures nearly a week later, an official said Tuesday night.
Keeana J. Webster of Carpentersville was cited for improper lane usage, driving without insurance and no child restraint, said Illinois State Police Trooper Douglas Yorke.
The infant was in a safety seat, but the seat was attached to fabric of the vehicle's seat rather than an anchor and the seat came free during the crash, according to Yorke.
The baby was also partially ejected from the seat because the straps were not positioned correctly, police said.
“The mom and dad tried to do the right thing; they had a safety seat for the baby,” Yorke said.
“I really think this is more ignorance of how to put the seat in correctly rather than negligence.”
Yorke, who is a safety education officer and child seat technician, said it is very common for the seats to be installed improperly, and he urged parents to have their seats checked out.
He said during a recent car seat check in Naperville, between 50 percent and 75 percent of the seats were installed incorrectly.
“It's a pretty complex system that you're dealing with and it's the most precious thing you own so you want to make sure it's as safe as possible,” he said.
Most police and fire stations will check a seat for free, and the government has a car seat inspection locator at www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm.