Boy Dies in a Car Crash while Riding on Grandmother’s Lap
October 14, 2008
Sacramento, CA – A 5-year-old boy died while riding on his grandmother’s lap as she was driving when she made a sudden stop. The boy was identified as Alexander Martinez, and he was pronounced dead at the Mercy San Juan Medical Center. His grandmother, identified as Joni Kelley, was critically injured.
Alexander was sitting on his grandmother’s lap while she drove when the accident happened. The child was not properly restrained, and Kelley was not wearing a seatbelt. This is in violation of California’s primary seatbelt law, which requires passengers to be belted in at all times. Also, California state law requires children to be in a car or booster seat at the backseat until they reach 6 years old or weigh at least 60 pounds.
Authorities say that Kelley crashed into the wall of an empty house a few blocks away from where they lived. The impact of the crash had triggered the release of airbags. The force of the airbag was fatal to the child sitting on his grandmother’s lap.
California Highway Patrol also said that Kelley had been driving on a suspended license.
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