The father of two toddlers thrown from a Jeep in a highway crash is likely to face criminal charges, officials said Wednesday.
The accident occurred Sunday on Interstate 10 East, on the outskirts of Houston. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described the incident on X as “a two-car crash where one of the cars flipped over several times causing ejection.”
Among those ejected from the overturned vehicle were a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, the sheriff’s office said. Video showed the two toddlers, dressed only in diapers, stranded on the highway before they were rescued.
An investigation revealed that neither child was in a car seat at the time of the crash.
“They were just sitting in the back of the vehicle, not strapped to anything,” Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Gilliland said.
Both children are being treated at the hospital and remain in “serious but stable condition,” the sheriff’s office said. Their father, the driver, was treated for minor injuries and released.
T e xas law re quires children under age 8 to be secured in child safety seats. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, child safety seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4. In 2022, 39% of children killed in traffic crashes were not properly restrained.
Although no charges have been yet, the sheriff’s office confirmed that the case remains under investigation and indicated that charges against the father “will likely be filed soon.”
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