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Vigilance stressed after unbuckled 10-year-old dies in I-10 crash

Published July 12, 2017 8:39 PM

The number of crashes on a section of the Interstate 10 freeway, east of the Coachella Valley, has nearly doubled since 2015, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Read: I-Team Investigation Looks Into I-10 Desert Center Dangers

For the second time this year, a child is dead after being ejected from a vehicle in the area. The CHP said Wednesday morning’s accident was a perfect example of why wearing a seat belt properly is so important and the agency said the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the drivers to make sure it is happening.

It was just after midnight when a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan overturned after hitting the center divider- west of Chiriaco Summit. Four of the eight people inside, all of them not wearing seat belts, were ejected. Delawrence Grant III, 10, of Victorville was declared dead at the scene.

“No one should have to bury their child, that’s not how that is supposed to work,” said Officer Mike Radford of the California Highway Patrol in Indio.

The accident comes four months after 9-year-old Anthony Duran, of Lubbock, Texas, died near Desert Center. Authorities said a tire blew on the Ford Explorer, in which he was a passenger. He was also not wearing a seat belt and was ejected.

“Seat belts definitely save lives; 50 percent of people that die in crashes aren’t wearing seat belts and 60 percent of teens that die in crashes aren’t wearing them,” Radford said.

Radford also stressed the importance that the seat belts are being worn properly.

“Every single time you get inside a vehicle, you need to make sure that everyone inside of your vehicle is wearing a seat belt and properly, which means over the shoulder and not behind their head or under their arm. That is illegal and also dangerous,” he added.

He said that drivers should remember that they are responsible for the people traveling with them.

“As a driver of any vehicle, you are responsible for that vehicle and, in a sense, the people inside as well,” Radford said. “So, if you are breaking laws by not having someone in their seat belt or being distracted or falling asleep and someone dies as a result of that collision, there can be criminal charges filed.”

Radford said according to California law, children younger than 8 need to be in a child safety seat or a booster seat. If they are between the ages of 8 and 16 and the driver is pulled over because they are unrestrained, the driver will be cited.

He recommended drivers look over their occupants before the cars start moving.