Baby dies after being involved in car crash
An infant who would have been six-months-old on September 22nd has died following a two-vehicle collision in Yuma that sent her to the hospital Monday evening.
The Yuma Police Department identified the baby as Evelyn Altamirano. She died on Wednesday.
Yuma police said on Monday the driver of a 2016 Mazda sedan was heading westbound and tried to make a U-turn at the intersection of 24th Street and Avenue A. The driver then collided with a 1998 Jeep Cherokee heading eastbound. The Jeep is the vehicle that had the infant inside.
The infant was secured in a child safety seat, but the seat appeared to have been improperly installed in the vehicle, police said.
“The car seat was a rear facing car seat, but it was actually put in the front seat of the car and when the air bags go off, it hits right into the car seat. That could be a factor as reference to the injuries that happened. Please everybody when you are dealing with car seats, make sure they are installed properly, but also follow the guidelines,” said Sgt. Lori Franklin of the Yuma Police Department.
No other injuries were reported. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in the collision. No charges have been filed regarding this case.
The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.
