Clinton child recipient of safer car seat
Foundation provides seats to eligible families
By DEB WUETHRICH
When Clinton resident and single-mom Ginger Taylor saw a video on YouTube.com about a little boy from Texas named Kyle David Miller, she did what hundreds of others have done upon seeing it. She explored further. Her daughter, Morgan Wagner, 3 ½, recently was the recipient of a Britax Regent car seat which contains a five-point harness system and will hold a child up to 80 pounds.
Kyle David Miller was just three years old in 2005 when he was killed in a rollover car accident after a seatbelt failure. He was in a child booster seat in a van — right next to his sister, who survived — but the faulty seatbelt system caused him to be thrown from the vehicle. The video was posted by Kyle’s parents, Kevin and Christine Miller, who have since started the Kyle David Miller Foundation to educate people on the merits of five-point harness car seat restraints. Through donations and an eligibility process the Millers have enabled children throughout the country the opportunity to obtain one.
“That video just flew around the Internet,” said Taylor. “I’m all about keeping Morgan safe in the car. She will be outgrowing her child restraint soon.”
“This is the ultimate in car seats,” said Tecumseh Police Sgt. Kelley Hissong, who also is a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, with the Tecumseh Police Department being an approved Child Passenger Safety Station. Hissong and Tecumseh Police Dispatcher Monica Andrews, also certified, assisted Taylor with the seat’s installation on Tuesday evening. The foundation ships the seats to the nearest authorized safety stations to ensure proper installation.
“This is the first one we’ve seen from the Foundation,” said Hissong. She and Andrews checked it out when it arrived. “It’s very simple to install and there are good directions that are very well explained in the book that comes with it,”
The women spent several minutes fastening the seat to the rear passenger seat of the car with Morgan’s mom also receiving hands-on practice, since she will be transferring the seat between cars and needs to be able to do it safely.
“This is really tight,” said Monica after the seat was in place. “That’s just the way we want it.” The Britax Regent is a large, sturdy seat with a lot of growing room but also is covered with comfortable material.
This is the king of car seats,” said Taylor. “I have told many others about this because I think it’s just awesome to think what they are doing with the Foundation in memory of their son.” And Morgan’s viewpoint upon hearing that the seat was “snug?”
“Snug as a bug on a rug,” she said and giggled.
To learn more about safety restraints for children, visit safekids.org, or to have a car seat checked by certified technicians, contact the Tecumseh Police Department at 423-7494, which also conducts periodic car seat clinics. The foundation website is www.kyledavidmiller.org.
