The father of two toddlers thrown from a Jeep in a US highway crash is likely to face criminal charges, officials say.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described Sunday’s accident as “a two-car crash where one of the cars flipped over several times causing ejection”.
Two children were among those thrown from the overturned vehicle on Interstate 10 East, on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, Gonzalez said.
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Video showed the two toddlers, dressed only in nappies, stranded on the highway before they were rescued.
An investigation revealed neither child was in a car seat at the time of the crash.
“They were just sitting in the back of the vehicle, not strapped to anything,” Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Gilliland said.
Both children were treated in hospital and their father, the driver, was treated for minor injuries and discharged.
Texas law requires children under the age of eight to be secured in child safety seats.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, child safety seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 54 per cent for children aged one to four.
In 2022, 39 per cent of children killed in traffic crashes were not properly restrained.
Although no charges have been yet, the sheriff’s office confirmed the case remains under investigation and indicated charges against the father “will likely be filed soon”.
