St. John Sheriff’s captain hopes tragic case reminds parents to belt in children

By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

HARVEY, LA – A 16-month-old boy, who was not secured in a child seat, was seriously injured Monday when he fell out of a moving car and was struck by two vehicles on a busy Jefferson Parish road, said State Police.

Senior Trooper Joseph Piglia said the accident occurred near the West Bank Expressway and Manhattan Boulevard shortly before 1 p.m. The boy was transported to West Jefferson Medical Center, where he is in serious condition as of Thursday.

According to police reports, the child was riding unsecured in the front passenger seat of a 2002 Mercury Sable being driven northbound on Manhattan by the boy’s grandmother, Idell Brignac, 62, of Harvey. While Brignac was making a left turn at the West Bank Expressway, the boy opened the front door and rolled out of the car.

The report goes on to say once the boy exited the car, he was grazed by an unidentified vehicle traveling behind Brignac’s car, then run over by a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by a 36-year-old Waggaman woman.

Col. Kenneth Soutullo, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Deputy who was present at the time of the incident, prevented further injury of the child by forcing his patrol car between the toddler and oncoming traffic.

Capt. Za Moran, director of community relations for the St. John Sheriff’s Office, said an accident of this kind should serve as a sobering reminder of the importance of properly securing young children into safety seats.

Moran said SJSO conducted a drive about three years ago that distributed car safety seats to the public. He said officers went to training courses, and showed people how to properly install them.

&#8220It is such a common sense thing, any young child should be secure,” said Moran. &#8220I know that some of these seats are a bit pricey, and they are not the easiest things to install, but any small child riding in a car should be properly restrained.”

Moran said that any driver caught transporting a child who is not properly secured in a child seat is subject to a ticket anywhere in the state. In the accident Monday, Brignac was charged with not securing a child in a child seat.

Specific guidelines, provided by State Police say that children 1-year-old or younger, and 20 pounds, must ride in a rear facing child restraint seat. It also states that any child under 6-years-old, and 60 pounds, must be restrained in a size appropriate child restraint seat.

Moran said his office is looking to conduct a car seat check-up for the public sometime in the spring. He said he has also floated the possibility of working on a grant to purchase car seats to give out.

Moran said that anyone who has questions about how to properly install child seats is welcome to call the office of community relations at 985-652-7058. He said his office does installations on a call basis, but State Police Troop B, located in Kenner, has a continuous car seat check up every Wednesday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.