Toddler lucky to be alive, say Plunket and police

A Northland toddler incorrectly belted up in a truck is lucky to be alive after the vehicle crashed near Kaikohe yesterday, Plunket and police say.

The four-year-old boy broke his pelvis and sustained serious cuts to his legs after he slid under a front-seat adult seatbelt and hit the truck's dashboard in Matawaia, 20km southeast of Kaikohe.

The boy, believed to be from nearby Pipiwai, was flown to Whangarei Hospital by rescue helicopter and is now in a stable condition.

His 14-year-old relative was driving but uninjured in the 11am accident. Police said the truck was not registered or warranted.

Plunket national child safety adviser Sue Campbell said the toddler was lucky to be alive, as adult seatbelts were not designed for young children.

The law states children under five must be placed in an approved child restraint.

"There's very clear evidence that if children aren't restrained properly they will be seriously injured or die if there's an accident," Ms Campbell said.

Children were also better protected in the back seat, she added.

Kawakawa police Sergeant Ross Laurie said the toddler's injuries could have been "far, far more serious".

The young driver failed to take a left-hand bend and drove off the road, where the truck became wedged between trees.

He was likely to be referred to Youth Aid for driving illegally, Mr Laurie said.

It was also a concern that local adult motorists had forgotten how important it was to buckle-up properly -- seven who passed the crash scene were fined for not wearing seatbelts.

One driver was fined for owning a vehicle containing "more rust than metal" and another vehicle was discovered to have been stolen from Kaikohe last year.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)