Girl, 3, Likely Killed by Tablet She Was Using in Car

Experts say tragedy is extremely rare
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 26, 2018 4:06 PM CDT
Updated Sep 27, 2018 12:33 AM CDT
Girl, 3, Likely Killed by Tablet in Car Crash
Four kids' tablets are displayed, Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, in New York.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Horror in Spain, where a 3-year-old girl was killed when her mother's car slammed into the back of a school bus and an unsecured tablet the child was using flew into her face. The girl's cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but police say the tablet appeared to cause severe head injuries. The girl's mother, who suffered minor injuries, told authorities the glare from the sun distracted her from slowing down before she hit the bus, which reportedly stopped due to another collision, the Times reports, per Driving.co.uk. "This is a tragic accident, which will send a shudder down the spine of every parent who lets their child use a tablet or smartphone as entertainment on any car journey," a road expert tells the BBC, though he notes such an incident is highly uncommon.

"We have not heard of any similar incidents but it is important to realize that in a high-speed accident any hard object which is not strapped down inside a vehicle has the potential to become a lethal projectile," he says. Two other experts express similar sentiments, with one calling it a "freak incident" and another noting it's "clearly a very tragic but very rare incident." And, as the last expert points out, in most cases "it may be more dangerous to have an unentertained child in the back of a car on a long journey, distracting the driver." Even so, Spanish authorities are reminding parents to "pay attention to the road, watch your distance, and do not carry loose objects" in the car. (More freak accident stories.)

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