SEATTLE – A violent crash in Seattle's Central District Monday threw a 3-year-old from the car, along with the car seat she was riding in.
Police say the accident occurred at S. Main St. and 20th Ave. S., an uncontrolled intersection with no stop signs.
A Toyota sedan carrying four Somalis was hit twice. First by a DirecTV van, which then spun it into the path of an oncoming minivan.
A 3-year old child in a car seat was ejected from the Toyota, while still in the car seat. She was buckled in, but was badly injured. A 7-year-old girl and two women in that same car were also hospitalized.
"Obviously this was a fairly violent impact. Again that's something detectives will be looking at," said Mark Jamieson with Seattle Police.
Witnesses say the DirectTV driver was going too fast.
"What do you do you're not supposed to drive reckless here in this residential area, so why you hit car and you see there are kids inside the car," said Ahmed Jaarso.
It was then that he noticed the little girl outside the car.
"I was in shock anyway I tried to call 911 for medical attention. I tried to do the best we could," he said.
Child safety seats are easier to install in newer model cars with a latch system. In older model cars it can be more difficult. But we still don't know why that car seat ejected or who is at fault. That is something police will determine in the days and weeks ahead.
"Nobody has been cited or arrested at this point but that is something that our detectives will be looking at, as to the cause of this collision," said Officer Mark Jamieson of Seattle Police.
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