NHTSA complaint: UNKNOWN UNKNOWN — CHILD SEAT
I BOUGHT A BRITAX BOULEVARD A FEW WEEKS AGO FOR MY 12 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER. I WAS DRIVING ON 3/24/09 AROUND 7AM AND ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE STARTED SCREAMING. I THOUGHT SHE JUST WASN'T HAPPY THAT MORNING, BUT SHE WAS STILL SCREAMING FURIOUSLY ABOUT 3-5 MINUTES LATER WHEN WE PULLED UP TO HER PRESCHOOL. I WENT TO GET HER OUT OF THE CHILD RESTRAINT, I UNBUCKLED THE CROTCH BELT AND THEN CHEST CLIP, HER LEFT ARM CAME OUT AND WHEN I WENT TO GRAB HER RIGHT ARM SHE SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER! I LOOKED DOWN AND SHE HAD HER HAND STUCK IN THE SEAT BELT SLOT BY THE REAR-FACING LOCK-OFF , NOT ONLY STUCK DOWN IN THERE BUT HER FINGERS LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE ABOUT TO BREAK BECAUSE SHE HAD GOTTEN THEM WEDGED BETWEEN THE PLASTIC PART OF THE SEAT AND ABOVE THE METAL LATCH BAR. I WAS HORRIFIED TO SAY THE LEAST BECAUSE I COULD NOT MOVE THEM AND THEY WERE RED AND SWOLLEN. I RAN INTO THE PRESCHOOL AND YELLED FOR HELP, THE DIRECTOR AND HER TEACHER CAME OUT AND AFTER COMPLETELY UNLATCHING THE SEAT AND TRYING A NUMBER OF THINGS, HER TEACHER PUT LIQUID SOAP ON HER AND THE SEAT AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET HER HAND OUT. HER SKIN WAS SCRAPED OFF THE TOP OF HER FINGERS AND SHE CRIED FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTERWARD. THEY ICED HER HAND AND IT DOESN'T LOOK TOO BAD NOW EXCEPT FOR THE SCRAPES. HER FINGERS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN BROKEN AND THIS SEAT IS FOR BABIES 5LBS AND UP. HAS THIS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE? WHAT AM I TO DO TO PREVENT HER FROM STICKING HER HANDS DOWN IN THE SLOTS? *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation