PARMA, Ohio -- A man who did not switch
off an air bag that deployed in an accident and killed his infant son was sentenced
yesterday to two 12-hour days in jail -- the boy's birthday and the crash anniversary.
Dwight Childs, 29, is believed to be the
first person to have been sentenced for not switching off an air bag, according to the
American Automobile Association.
"Anything I do won't matter,"
Municipal Court Judge Kenneth Spanagel told Childs, who hung his head and grimaced during
his sentencing. "Your personal guilt you're going to carry."
Since 1990, air bags have caused the
deaths of 121 people, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The
agency estimates that air bags have also saved 3,600 lives.
Childs pleaded no contest last month to
charges of vehicular homicide and running a red light in connection with the death of his
2-month-old son, Jacob.
No law required Childs to disengage the
air bag, which deployed after Childs' truck crashed into another truck at an intersection.
The boy was strapped into a rear-facing car seat and suffered head injuries.
But prosecutors charged him because his
1997 pickup truck and the boy's car seat had stickers warning that the device should be
switched off in such circumstances.
"I believe we counted over a dozen
warnings that should have triggered a different response from the driver," said David
Toetz, assistant city prosecutor.
A rear-facing infant seat strapped into
the front seat puts a baby's head dangerously close to the deploying air bag.
David Van Sickle, an AAA spokesman, said
he knew of no one else prosecuted because he did not turn off an air bag.
Prosecutors decided not to press serious
charges because Jacob was Childs's only son.
Childs could have been sentenced to
seven months in jail and $1,250 in fines if convicted of vehicular homicide and running
the red light.
Spanagel fined him $500, suspended his
license for three years except for work and other essential trips, and sentenced him to
180 days in jail with 178 days suspended, so long as Childs helps produce public service
announcements about air bag safety.