Child Trapped In Seatbelt Struggling To Breathe Freed By Sheriff's Deputy In VA

An 11-year-old girl trapped by her seatbelt was saved by a Stafford County Sheriff's deputy, authorities said.

07/09/2023 3:38 p.m.

The girl's parent flagged down the deputy on Friday, July 7 in the Sheetz parking lot on Wyche Road, around 4:45 p.m., Sheriff David Decatur said.

The girl, red in the face, was trapped in her seatbelt and unable to get out.

Deputy Pitts noticed the seatbelt was twisted around the child’s stomach. She was in pain and beginning to have difficulty breathing.

Unable to loosen the seatbelt, Deputy Pitts used her pocket knife to cut the seatbelt and free the child.

The child was uninjured and was able to move to a new seat in the SUV for a functioning seatbelt for the remainder of the trip.

Deputy Pitts and the parents are unsure how the child was able to twist the seatbelt completely around her body and get stuck.

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