Recent accidents cited as seat belt reminder

Children injured in separate wrecks weren’t buckled up

Two accidents within 24 hours of each other involving children not wearing seat belts have sent multiple people to the hospital and have prompted authorities to remind Houston drivers to make sure everyone in the car is buckled up.

“We encourage people to make sure children are secured in your vehicle,” said Deputy Thomas Gilliland with the Harris County Sheriff ’s Office. “It’s state law.”

Two children who were not wearing seat belts during a car crash Monday in Atascocita were taken to the hospital. One child was ejected from a car, and two more minors were taken to the hospital after the wreck. Officers say none of the children nor the driver was wearing a seat belt.

Around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, another crash occurred in which four passengers, a 17-year-old man, an 11-year-old boy, a 9-yearold boy and a 7-year-old girl, all were not wearing seat belts. The 7-year-old was ejected from the vehicle. The four passengers, along with the driver, who was wearing a seat belt, were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with injuries that were not lifethreatening.

Tuesday’s crash occurred when a 33-year-old woman who was driving a PT Cruiser east on De Boll Street failed to yield the right of way at a stop sign, according to HPD spokesman John Cannon. She was struck in the intersection by a black Ford Focus driven south on Irvington Road by a 25-year-old man. The female driver faces two citations, including failure to yield the right of way and not having insurance.

Monday’s crash happened just before 5 p.m. at the intersection of Atascocita and Barry, said Gilliland.

Three brothers — two 9-yearolds and a 15-year-old — were riding eastbound on Atascocita in a Chevrolet pickup, while their 34-year-old father was behind the wheel.

At one point, the father tried to turn left from Atascocita onto Barry. As he made the turn, he pulled in front of a Toyota Tundra, which was traveling the opposite direction on Atascocita.

The Tundra slammed into the truck, pushing it into a ditch alongside of the road. One of the 9-year-olds was ejected from the truck, Gilliland said.

The other three occupants of the truck remained inside the vehicle, but none of the four family members was wearing a seat belt, Gilliland said. The father and three sons were taken to an area hospital as a precaution and were released the same day.

The father faces three citations: failure to yield the right of way, driving with an invalid license and having an unsecured child in the car under the age of 17, Gilliland said. The 52-year-old driver of the Tundra was not injured.