By Chuck Woodbury
This is something that no parent or grandparent should ever have to experience. I cannot begin to fathom the pain. I feel a little guilty even passing it along to you, but, really, maybe someone reading this will strap their child in a seatbelt next time instead of allowing him or her to be unrestrained.
A 3-year-old visiting a Corps of Engineers campsite in Montgomery County, Alabama, with his family died after an RV accident on Wednesday.
According to Lance Davis with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the family was traveling in the RV along a loop access road in the Gunter Hill Campground when the child, Elijah Crow, opened the door and fell out while the vehicle was moving, becoming trapped underneath.
Davis said the child was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The child’s mother, who’d jumped out of the RV to help her son, sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Davis said the child’s grandfather was driving the RV.
SOURCE: WSFA-TV
We never, ever allow anyone to ride in our RV without proper restraints. Period. At all. It took work to modify the seat belt bolts in our RV so that they went through the flooring with a huge washer on the end instead of being screwed into the particle board sub-flooring.
Our grandkids haven’t ever ridden in a car or other vehicle without proper restraints and are quite adamant that an adult check to be sure they’re in safe before the vehicle moves (yes, the 4 year old is a seatbelt inspection agent).
Serious stuff that we take seriously.
RV builders need to put in seat belts that are useable. In my Georgetown the belts are so long that even when belted they can practically stand up. The belts are 7 feet long. I am looking at other companys to find shorter belts.
That is so tragic. Pray to the dear Lord that this little guy, who is in heaven, gave such joy for the short time he was with us, and that some good by posting this article, comes out of it.