1-year-old was unrestrained in fatal car wreck, Huntsville police say

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - The investigation continues in Friday night's car wreck that left a 1-year-old boy dead.

Lt. Stacy Bates, the Huntsville Police Department spokesman, said they're trying to learn why 1-year-old Booker Cowan wasn't restrained inside the car. They're also trying to learn why that car ran a stop sign.

That car was traveling west on Kelly Cemetery Road when it ran into the path of another car traveling north on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway.

Booker and his mother were ejected from the car. Booker died at the scene.

Bates said the mother also under investigation.

Bates said there are a lot of things to examine when it comes to a tragic case like this, including if everyone is following seat belt laws.

"The studies show - it's overwhelming - if you're wearing a seat belt and wearing it properly, the risk of being seriously injured or killed drops dramatically. And when we're talking about a child, put those kids in child restraints. We can't emphasize that enough," he said.

A HEMSI paramedic said if a child is properly fastened in a safety seat, that child is the safest individual in the car.

The mother wasn't wearing a seat belt either, according to police. Neither she nor any of the other people involved had life-threatening injuries.

Copyright 2016 WAFF. All rights reserved.