Phoenix Police are stressing the importance of car seats after a 6-month-old baby girl died in a crash over the weekend.
Investigators said Ivory Gerald was not in a car seat and died at the hospital following the accident.
Police said the crash was caused by a red-light runner, and it's something police reported seeing a lot in recent weeks.
"A child not being restrained in a car seat is 100% preventable," Phoenix Police Sgt. Vincent Cole said.
Police said Ivory was ejected from a GMC after a black pickup ran a red light near 7th Street and Buckeye Road in Phoenix.
"Children are obviously our most vulnerable population, and we have to do what we can as adults to ensure that they are as safe as possible when they're in a vehicle," Cole added. "Four out of five car seats are not properly installed and one-third of those improper installations also have the improper restraint for the age of size of a child."
Officers said the red-light runner, who did stay at the scene but refused medical care, also left a 3-year-old and three adults injured as well.
This is the fourth crash in a week involving a red-light runner according to police reports; three of the crashes ended with passengers dying.
"So being extra cognizant as a driver is important. It's even more so when you approach intersections," Cole added.
Officers said it's unclear at this point if the parents of the baby girl will be charged in the crash but it is still a possibility as the investigation is ongoing.
"It varies case by case it as far as the consequences of not doing that, the city has a hotline to call in, if somebody observes a child that is not properly restrained," Cole said.
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