Two toddlers in diapers were rescued from the middle of a highway in Texas. The two children appeared on the road following a two-car accident, during which one of the vehicles flipped over several times. The crash occurred on the Interstate 10 East Freeway near Freeport, Texas, and police say the car that tumbled contained a 25-year-old driver and two young children. A Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the children and the adult were transported to hospital in a stable condition, and the other vehicle’s occupants were unharmed.
Witness Victor Cordova told reporters that he thought the children were dead. Video footage of the incident was posted online, and two men were seen walking toward the toddlers to comfort them.
Social media users reacted to the scene with horror, with one saying, “This video will make any parent’s heart completely sink.” When the children were saved, some commenters thanked God for watching over them, while others called for stricter punishments for parents who put their children’s lives at risk. “Not putting your kids in child seats and seatbelts should be a federal crime,” one person wrote.
It later emerged that the children’s father, who was driving the vehicle, will likely face criminal charges. Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said neither of the children, who were dressed only in diapers, were wearing seatbelts or sitting in child car seats. “They were just sitting in the back of the vehicle, not strapped to anything,” he said.
Under Texas law, parents are obliged to secure children under the age of eight in an appropriate child safety seat while traveling. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that safety seats reduce the risk of fatalities in children aged two to four by up to 54%. Figures from 2022 reveal that 39% of children killed in car crashes were not properly strapped in.
A Sherriff’s Department spokesperson said charges against the father will “likely be filed soon.” The case remains under investigation and it is unclear what charges the unnamed 25-year-old will face.
