[damien]

Dumb, just stupid, that the mother couldn't have handled this herself. It's a good thing for her that the police could respond in time.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1208/578224.html

Child Revived After Being Strangled by Seat Beltposted 12/16/08 6:09 pm

Reporter Brad Bell demonstrates how investigators believe a slipknot formed, choking the child to the point of cardiac arrest.

Beltsville, Md. - A 5-year-old boy in a booster seat somehow became entangled in his seat belt, which choked him to the point of cardiac arrest Monday night, officials said.

The boy, who was traveling on I-95 with his mother, was fidgeting in the booster seat, the sources said. Somehow the boy created a lot of slack in the seat belt, twisting it into a slipknot, which tightened around the boy's neck, the sources said.

The boy's mother pulled onto the I-95 shoulder near the Powder Mill Road exit in Calverton and called 911.

"It was a hysterical woman who said her child was basically -- we'll call it tangled -- in seat belt," Maryland State Police Lt. Carl Miller said, describing the 911 call.

Troopers responded to the scene, finding the boy, DeAndre Harris, in a booster seat in the back seat of the Honda CRV.

The seat belt strap had become so tight the panicking mom -- identified as Yuko Harris -- couldn't push the release button. For that reason, troopers are required to carry a special knife that can slice through the tough material with ease.

"He used that and seconds later he cut right above where child was entangled and freed the child, and the child was lifeless at that point," Lt. Miller said.

The boy was not breathing and in cardiac arrest, authorities said. The trooper performed CPR on the child until an ambulance crew arrived.

"They initiated CPR, advance life support measures on the way to a nearby hospital," Prince George's County Fire and EMS spokesman Mark Brady said. "They did regain a spontaneous pulse on the child before they arrive at the emergency room."

The boy was later transferred to Children's Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

No one call recall a similar incident.

"Extremely rare," Brady said. "I mean we've always dealt with injuries inside of seat belts or booster seats, but certainly not one involved in some type of strangulation or suffocation."

Investigators have been going over the car in a secure bay at the College Park state police barracks. They say there is no evidence of foul play.

A 2-year-old, believed to be DeAndre's brother, was secured in a child safety seat in the back. He was not hurt.

[Justin]

This isn't a gun-related post, so I'm going to move it to the Non-firearm weapons forum.

There are a couple of lessons here: that it's a good idea to have a knife handy at all times, and that its extremely important to keep your wits about you when something like this happens.

[Rupestris]

My wife carries a Spyderco Dragonfly.

I wish she'd give it back...:(

Oh well. All the more reason to go get another one, right?:evil:

[sm]

This is what irks me about Knife Restrictions.

Gov't Meddlin' and how they can raise kids better than parents can, and "its for the safety of the children".

Plus all the other "evils" of knives that is spouted around the world.

Five year old kid, makes me wonder about the mom's age and if she was allowed to carry a knife to school. Heck, even raised one was not dressed without a knife in pocket as I and many of us were.

Dumbing down of society.

Cars did not have seat belts when I was a kid, but everybody carried a knife, as one was not dressed without a knife, not even little girls and boys.

We took knives to school, we sharpened pencils, and part of growing up was keeping that knife sharp, and pivots oiled. Principals, teachers, any adult would ask to see a kid's knife, and it was to be handed over properly and checked to see if sharp and pivots oiled.

Had this happened years back, I assure somebody would of had a knife, even a first grader would of had a pen knife to cut that seat belt.

Just like a first grader might be walking home from school and see a dawg choking on a lease, and could cut the rope.

Just like any mom could cut a shoe lace where someone was caught in a elevator, or escalator.

I am waiting for someone to get caught in a elevator in restricted building on a Campus, or similar situation where a knife would be the proper tool and I hope the victim sues them and big time.

[Carl Levitian]

Some people learn, some don't. I can only hope this lady can.

Years ago, I was in a department store, going up the escalator. Almost at the top, suddenly a little girl starts screaming bloody murder. Her shoe lace had become cought in the machine, and her foot was being pulled tight into the grill. A quick thinking person hit the emergency stop button, but the girl was still trapped. Not life or limb threatened though, just terrified.

Some people were calling for the rescue squad to be called, others were yelling for building management to do something. Nobody had a knife. One lady was trying to saw thru the trapped shoe lace with a car key.

I had my old Buck stockman, used the sheepsfoot blade to cut the shoe laces, and all was well. Little girl stopped crying once she realized the escalator monster wasn't going to eat her. Do you think any of those people there that day went out and bought a pocket knife?

Couple years ago I was at a local gun show and this woman had a big box of TSA knives. Alot of them were sak's. The little classics were 3 dollars, 2 for 2.50, 5 for 2 dollars apiece. I bought some that were almost new condition exept for being filthy. Back home they cleaned up nice with Dawn dishsoap and a toothbrush and warm water. Kept one on my keyring all the time. Came in handy as a give away.

One day I come out of Lowes, theres this young guy trying to get a fan out of the box to put in his packed honda civic. He's packed his car to the brim going back to his college dorm for the semester, and the fan won't fit in the car in the box. He's trying to cut the packing tape by stabing it with his car key. Why do they always try to use the car key?

I take off the little classic from my keyring and hand it to him. He slices open the box, cuts off all the taped on styrofoam blocks, and is amazed by how easy a tiny keychain knife made it. "Dude, thats a sharp little ----er!"

He hands it back to me, but I tell him to keep it. Think of it like a Giddions Bible, making a convert to carrying a pocket knife. He insists on giving me the 2 dollars I paid for it, impressing me with maybe the next generation isn't totally worthless slackers. maybe not just mentored right. He thanks me and puts the little red knife on his keyring. "That rocks, dude!" he yells at me as he pulls of, giving a wave.

Some will learn, some won't.

[tank mechanic]

I had a similiar experience to the first one that Carl Levitian posted. I was at the mall and as I walked by the escalator I noticed there was a woman standing there with her sandal strap wedged into the top plate where the stairs begin to go back down. She was standing there with her two daughters wondering what they were going to do.

I walked over and asked, " Ma'am, would you like me to cut the strap for you?''

She replied yes and I cut the strap.

That is just one of the many reasons why I always have a pocket knife.

[Rupestris]

One day I come out of Lowes, theres this young guy trying to get a fan out of the box to put in his packed honda civic. He's packed his car to the brim going back to his college dorm for the semester, and the fan won't fit in the car in the box. He's trying to cut the packing tape by stabing it with his car key. Why do they always try to use the car key?


Heres one for ya. I swear, this is true. Funny (because it wasn't an emergency), but true.

I come home from work around this time last year and next-door neighbor has his Christmas tree on the roof of his minivan. Two of the greatest little kids sitting patiently in their car seat and booster and dad is trying to cut the twine with... :scrutiny: An ice skate that was in the van.

I went over, puled out my little Sodbuster Jr. and cut the twine for him. Since I had another Sodbuster Jr. I gave him one. This year, the tree came off the van without skates.:p

[bikerdoc]

Before my surgery I worked as the RN supervisor for a home health agency, boring really, had 4 or 5 lpns that saw patients and we had weekly meetings. Over time they all saw me fiddling with a knife of some sort, and each one said they wanted/needed a knive for this, that or the other thing, I gifted each a knive to suit thier stated purpose. Each loved how much easier the task became.
When I was in the hospital I gifted a small flashlight to the night nurse and a small schrade to the guy in the next room.

[ReadyontheRight]

That's why I keep a Glock knife in every car. Use the sharp edge for cutting seat belts. Use the bottom of the handle for breaking glass (it's made for that...but I've never tested it) and use the bent side of the handguard for opening beer bottles if at a BBQ, the host forgot an opener and the car is near.:D

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Gut hooks are good for this sort of thing. Yes, a mom needs to have a set of tools at her disposal. Hope the kid is ok.

[Al Thompson]

Interesting. When I got my issue for Iraq, a seat belt cutter was part of my gear along with a multi-tool.

[sm]

For those of you in restrictive countries or are subject to restrictive campuses.

Yes, these work on seat belts.