LAS VEGAS -- The 3-year-old girl who was killed in a head-on car crash Monday was not in proper car seat, Metro Police said.
Emily Kay of Henderson died when the car she was riding in collided with another car that was turning left from Eastern Avenue onto Pebble Road.
According to police, she was in a booster seat designed for a 5 to 6-year-old child, not a car seat recommended for her age and weight.
The right car seat for a child can mean the difference between surviving a crash and a painful tragedy according to child advocates.
Jeanne Cosgrove Marsala is the Director of Safe Kids at Sunrise Children's Hospital. She said four out of five parents put their children at risk because the safety seats they chose are either wrong or they haven't been put in correctly.
"An average 3-year old is 30 pounds, and so if you are following the guidelines to the car seat that it says on the box you're not thinking you are doing anything wrong," Marsala said. "The reality is, there is no way a 30 pound child is safe in just a booster seat, because it often times doesn't fit them."
Marsala added labels on safety seats can be misleading too where the solution is to check with experts and have seats professionally installed.
"We want to remember race car drivers wear 5 point harnesses, why wouldn't we want our kids wearing that, if it can sustain those high speeds, we want our kids protected," Marsala said.
Her father, who was driving the car, was critically injured. The woman driving the second car suffered moderate injuries.
Sunrise Children's Hospital holds clinics on the third Wednesday of every month to install car seats,
The next event will be held Wednesday, January 16th, from 5pm until 7pm at the hospital located near Maryland Parkway and Desert Inn.
A family friend has set up a donation page to help pay for Emily's funeral.
