Bridgeport – A visit to the MSP Bridgeport Post to obtain a trooper's sign-off on a traffic citation for a child safety seat violation probably resulted in saving a child, the Michigan State Police reported today.

On August 2 a woman stopped by the MSP Bridgeport Post after receiving a traffic citation for failing to have her 2-year-old son in a child safety seat when stopped by a Bay City Post trooper. According to Sgt. Christopher Luty of the MSP Bridgeport Post, "The woman had obtained a safety seat from a relative as a loaner but it was in really bad shape. You could tell just from looking at it that it was not safe to have her child riding in it."

Sergeant Luty, concerned for the child's safety and sensitive to the mother's special needs, contacted Sgt. Kelly Robinson at the MSP 3rd District Headquarters in Saginaw for help. The 3rd District had some loaner car seats that were designated for low-income families. Sergeant Robinson drove to Bridgeport with the car seat, met the woman and, along with Tpr. Darby O'Dell of the Bridgeport Post, installed the car seat in the woman's vehicle. The troopers thought that would be the end of the story.

Then on Sunday, August 18, Sergeant Luty received a phone call from the woman who advised him that she had been involved in a traffic crash on August 10, just one week after her visit to the Bridgeport Post and her encounter with Sergeant Luty.

She had received serious leg and head injuries and her son had sustained a broken leg. According to Luty, "The crash was so violent that the buckle on the car seat was broken."

Assistant Bridgeport Post Commander Lt. Bonnie Kanicki stated, "We are so grateful that the child's injuries were not more extensive than they were. I am also proud of our troopers and the way they recognized the hazards posed by the original car seat. They then took the time to make arrangements to secure a safer one for the family." Kanicki went on to say, "Most of all, we are happy that the Bay City Post trooper wrote the original citation which started this series of events or the consequences could have been tragic."

For more information, contact Lt. Bonnie Kanicki, Assistant Post Commander, MSP Bridgeport Post at (989) 777-3700

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