The Scariest Day... Beware of the Toddler Eating Mini-van!!!

A scary accident occurred in May, and I want to tell the story as part of my journal and to warn others.  It was about 8:00 pm one May evening when I arrived home from the grocery store.  Four of my children were with me and we were exhausted after a long day.  The sun had set and it was dark outside as I took the first load of groceries into the house.  As I was putting the milk in the fridge, I heard a loud cry outside, I asked my oldest daughter to go and see why my 2 year old was crying.  (Minutes earlier I had asked the kids to unstrap her from her car seat and bring her inside, but she wasn't inside yet.)

My oldest daughter came running into the house in a panic, crying and trying to speak. I just said, "run, show me, I'm right behind you, run!" She led me outside to the minivan in the driveway. All the doors were closed and my 2 year old was screaming bloody murder inside. At first I just thought she locked herself in, so I tried the side sliding door, it wouldn't budge. I quickly noticed that my daughters arm was trapped in the automatic sliding door on the passenger side. I couldn't see anything below her elbow. Her arm, from her fingertips to her elbow, was trapped in the door and the door was closed completely. I feared that her arm was severed.

I yelled' "get the phone, call 911!" My daughter obeyed. I repeatedly unlocked the door, and pulled with all my strength to push it open, with no luck. It was jammed shut. I spoke to the 911 operator and yelled for my oldest daughter to run next door and get the neighbor! Our neighbor, a large man at least 6'3" tall and an elementary teacher, came running. He pulled with all his strength for a few minutes. I begged him to do anything, break the door, I didn't care! He had to be very careful as he pulled, not to injure her further. As the police arrived, followed by an ambulance, my neighbor was able to force the door open. My toddler's arm was swollen and bruised, but amazingly not broken. The door was slightly bent and had to be forced closed.

The next day I took my toddler to her pediatrician to make sure her arm was alright. She checked out just fine. My next stop was the Chevy dealership. They told me that the thick rubber weather stripping around the door had cushioned her arm. The door has a sensor to stop it from closing on an object, but when the door is less than 1 inch from closing, if it meets resistance, it torks down even harder to force itself shut. This feature is to overcome dirt or ice build up.

I asked about a safety device and if any recalls existed.  There are no recalls.  I asked how I could report the problem and was told there wasn't a way to report it. 

 WARNING: Pictured above is the 2002 Chevrolet Venture appendage death trap!!!