Note: The timestamp on the videos say 11:03 a.m. The incident happened at 10:03 a.m.
Note: Chief Miksch will be available to speak to the media at 3 p.m. today at the Hanson Police station 775 Main St.
HANSON — Chief Michael Miksch reports that the Hanson Police Department is seeking to identify a driver and a child after the child fell out of a moving vehicle Monday morning, March 2.
At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, an incident occurred on Liberty Street (Route 58) where a vehicle was pulling out of the Hanson Town Hall from the boat ramp exit. As the vehicle turned onto Liberty Street a small child opened the rear driver’s side door and fell out of the vehicle onto the road.
The child tumbled into the road and quickly stood up and ran towards the vehicle.
The female driver of the white midsize crossover SUV pulled over and got out and ran toward the child. The woman picked up the child and brought the child back to the vehicle. They remained at the scene for a short time before driving away.
The vehicle is believed to be a Dodge Journey.
The Hanson Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the driver and child. If anyone has information about this incident, please contact the Hanson Police Department at 781-293-4625.
“We want to ensure the safety and well-being of the child, as well as determine how this event happened,” Chief Miksch said. “Thankfully it appears that the child may not have been seriously injured. But we want to make sure and we would like to speak with the driver.”
Chief Miksch would like to share the following safety tips about driving with young children from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- Teach children the proper times in which they can open a car door. Failure to have child locks on and children playing with the door may result in children opening the door at the wrong time and possibly falling out of a moving vehicle.
- Teach children that car doors are not toys and shouldn’t be played with. Children may sustain injuries while fooling around with the door, including injuries to fingers and hands.
- Child locks should remain on rear doors at all times to ensure your child’s safety. Children should also be taught a safe procedure for entering and exiting the car.
- Always make sure your car seat is installed correctly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. The proper placement of a seat belt restrains the child safely in a crash.
- Infants under the age of one should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. A rear-facing car seat has a harness and in a crash, it cradles and moves with your child to reduce the stress to the child’s fragile neck and spinal cord.
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