Newborn Ejected From SUV In Crash Found Unharmed In Car Seat Carrier

A family from California is lucky to be alive after their SUV rolled over on the Golden State Highway. Ulizes Benitez was driving with his wife and two children when he suddenly lost control of his 2007 Cadillac Escalade. He veered into another lane and then rolled down an embankment.

Benitez and his wife managed to escape the totaled Escalade and immediately went to check on their kids. Benitez found his two-year-old son still in his car seat but did not see his newborn.

"I looked at my oldest. He was in his car seat. He was crying scared but looked fine," Benitez said. "When we looked for our newborn baby boy, we didn't see him. I felt like my world was ending. I looked and looked for my boy but could not find him."

Benitez and his wife frantically searched for their other son and were relieved when emergency responders arrived and found him unharmed. The child's car seat was ejected from Cadillac in the crash and landed in the bushes nearby. 

"There he was, on top of a bush," Benitez said. "The car seat - not one bit of dirt on it, like he landed perfectly and clean, no scratches... he was awake had not a single scratch on him."

Officials said that drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash, but have not determined why Benitez lost control. They discovered that the base of the rear-facing child seat was not properly secured, which is why it flew out of the vehicle during the crash. 

“This child is very fortunate,” CHP officer Thomas Olsen told the Modesto Bee. “This is an unusual and rare circumstance where the child is ejected from the vehicle and appears to be unharmed.”

The family was taken to hospital and treated for their injuries, which considering the circumstances, were relatively minor. Benitez's wife suffered small fractures to her ribs, pelvis, and tailbone but is expected to be okay. Their two-year-old son had a fracture in his elbow but did not require surgery. Their newborn suffered some bruising on his brain but was not expected to have any lasting complications.

"I know God sent down an angel to watch over me and my family," Benitez told KTVU. "It was a horrible accident."


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