Mum says ‘nagging’ text to husband about son’s car seat may have saved his life

An "overprotective" new mum told how a "nagging" text message to her husband ended up saving their baby son's life.

Rebecca Tafaro Boyer had told her husband, David, to send her hourly updates about how they baby son William was getting on as she returned for her first day back after her maternity leave. She explained that at 2.15pm, she got a text from her husband telling her that they were going to be out running errands for the day - as well as a photo of their son. And that's when Rebecca noticed that something was wrong. She explained on Facebook:

"My nagging wife reply was to correct William’s position in the car seat - the straps were too loose and the chest clip was way too low. "And because I know my husband, I’m sure that he laughed at me and rolled his eyes before tightening the car seat and fixing the chest clip."

Just 15 minutes later, she got a phone call from her husband - and was told that they had been in a car crash, with the vehicle becoming a total write off. They were less than 5km from home when a woman pulled out into oncoming traffic, trying to make a quick left turn, and David didn't have the time to stop. Rebecca recalled:

"He slammed on the brakes at nearly 50 miles an hour before colliding with the front passenger side door of her SUV. "My precious little bundle of joy was so well restrained in his car seat, THAT HE DIDN’T EVEN WAKE UP. "Even with the impact of the two cars, William only received a minor jolt - so insignificant that he was able to continue on with his nap, and then spend the next two hours flirting with nurses in the Le Bonheur ED. "My husband didn’t fare quite as well - his foot is broken in three places, has three dislocated toes, and we go back to the doctor to make sure that he doesn’t need surgery. "The car is a loss, but cars can be replaced - my boys can't."

The mum was so relieved over their good fortune that she wanted to share the car sear warning with other parents. She continued:

"All infants should be REAR FACING in the back seat until at least the age of two and snuggly secured in a 5 POINT HARNESS in a car seat base that does not move more than one inch in any direction. "I am so thankful that my husband took the extra one minute that was necessary to put William in his car seat safely. "I can’t even begin to imagine how different the outcome could have been. I truly believe that the reason my family is at home sitting on the couch with a pair of crutches instead of down at the hospital is because of my annoying nagging mom voice."

Rebecca ended the post by explaining that their insurance company had covered the cost of a new car seat - as, in the Untied States, any car seat involved in a "moderate to severe crash immediately becomes defective". The Road Safety Authority Ireland's advice on car seats following crashes is:

"A car seat which has been involved in a crash should be carefully inspected and if there was more than bumper damage caused to the car, you should consider buying a new seat.