Does This Sound Fishy?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was working in peds last night and they brought up an 8 month old baby with a head injury who had been in a car accident. The baby was the only one hurt...the parents claim he was in a car seat and that the car seat was properly fastened. They said that the impact was too great.(no one else was injured) But this baby's face was all beat up. The doctor even thought it was strange and was wondering about abuse. I don't know about that, but do you think it is possible for a securely strapped in baby to sustain severe head injuries like that in an accident that would otherwise be deemed minor? My theory is that the baby was not in a car seat(maybe on mom's lap) or that the car seat was not fastened properly) and that they were afraid to admit it. I was only working in the capacity of a nurse's aid so I don't know what happened after that. I took him down for x-rays with what I thought was the parents but I don't know the results. That's another thing. The parents were in the coffee shop getting something to eat, while the aunt and uncle came with me to x-ray. And the parents didn't seem overly upset. I don't know....that seemed a little bizarre, as well. Since I am going to be a nurse soon and may be faced with similar situations, am I wrong to raise my eyebrows at the way this kid got hurt? And if so, as a nurse how do you deal with this? Like what is the protocol? I would never want to jump to conclusions. At the very least, maybe the parents require further education regarding proper use of a car seat?

not being in a corificeat at all, is child abuse.

When you are dealing w/ an innocent child, no "assumption" is wrong when you suspect abuse or neglect. Yes there is a chance the child could have been injured in a secure car seat if debri hit the child during the MVA. Were there lacs or bruises or both? When reporting such an instance to the authorities you have to have proper documentation to stand behind an investigation. Because believe me, I have seen (what I thought to be guilty) parents up and move once an investigation is saught. If the authorities (Social Services) have enough proof they can take the child immediately and place in foster care. Take notice if you start seeing this same child in and out of the ER on several occasions, and if you do, tell someone your suspicions, an RN, LPN, MD...doesn't matter. A lay person can even report suspected abuse, and S.S MUST make a home visit on just one call. Hope your nursing career goes well, I wish you luck.

It's more like stupidity or laziness. I mean if that were the case, I don't think that they intended to harm the child. I wouldn't charge them with child abuse. But I would definitely provide them with some in depth education about child safety.

Flo.....If the Doc suspected ANYTHING by law she HAS to report it.

I agree also w/ sunnygirl, a child not in a car seat IS abuse all on it's own

Let's hope the ER Called CPS. In CA it is amndatory to report SUSPECTED child abuse, which is what this is, suspicion, and 9 times out of 10 the ER sees it first.(theres are posters in the ER break room with a list of TRIGGERS to prompt a report.)

Check with the ER doc and nurses,flo

Sounds fishy to me - I would hope that somethiing is followed through - Please keep us updated - if you find out any more - It is hard in your position however well done for thinkng and examingin the possibilites and not just accepting what you are told - to me a good sign of a good nurse.

Tookie

This sounds fishy to me. In canada we are obligated to report any suspicion of abuse to authorities. The only one hurt???? Parents having a snack???? Scary. I would report this to the proper people and have them take over.

Specializes in NICU.

Unless there was something large on the ledge by the back window, it doesn't make any sense that the baby was hit in the face. If the car was rear ended, or a side impact, the parents would have been hurting, too.........

The social worker does need to be involved in this. You may not be able to do anything in this situation, but talking to the supervisor is a good start.

If you have the opportunity, talk to your nursing instructor about the situation. It is a learning experience for your fellow students, too. This can be discussed without breaking confidentiality. If you work with children or the elderly, this will come up again. Nurses are mandated reporters, the same as doctors and social workers.

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