16yo crushed by third row seat in Honda van and police can't find him as he calls 911 using Siri

[Pea-n-Me]

Sad story out of Ohio:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-died-mysteriously-car-repeatedly-called-911/story?id=54416116

Sounds like a perfect storm of things that went wrong.

 

[dotfurio]

That's terrible! How could they not figure out where he was??

 

[gillep]

I cannot even imagine how terrified he must have been.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

That's terrible! How could they not figure out where he was??

There were a few problems. One, he was in an overflow parking lot at the school, and police were looking in the main lot, where they couldn't find a gold Honda Odyssey; one officer even wondered if it was a prank.

He also wasn't able to hear the dispatcher's questions, as he was a distance away from the phone. He could only shout into the phone what had happened and where he was, i.e. the school, he didn't mention which parking lot, I guess. The call got disconnected and they called back, but it went to voicemail.

He made two 911 calls. On the second call, he was out of breath, and saying time was running out. Heartbreakingly, he told police to tell his mother he loved her if he died.

Apparently he was reaching over the third row seat into the back to get his tennis equipment when the seat fell over and he was trapped upside down with the seat pressing on his chest. (Which I read from a different article.)

 

[mrsstats]

So heartbreaking

 

[dotfurio]

I just feel like they could've searched the campus a little more thoroughly. One article I read said a map showed 7 parking lots around the campus but also said the deputy searched in at least two of them. You can't blow something off because it might be a prank.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Heartbreaking. I wish he had spent his time calling his family. I have no doubt they would have found him and saved him. I think the police thought it was a prank and didn't take it seriously.

 

[belleatdisney]

It really is terrible. I do feel they possibly thought it was a prank and should have had more searchers since there were several parking lots. He was trapped and panicking (understandable).

 

[firefly_ris]

Oh my God, heartbreaking. How horrible....that poor boy. He died all alone. My heart aches for his parents.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

I'm not understanding how a back seat can flip over and trap someone like that, compressing his chest.

 

[firefly_ris]

I'm not understanding how a back seat can flip over and trap someone like that, compressing his chest.

I'm not sure how an Odyssey's seat works, but in my 13 year old T&C, all of the seats "latch" onto metal rings/brackets that are sticking up out of the floor. You can "stow" the third row by unlatching it and flipping it down into the cargo area, and in the case of Chryslers the 2nd rows can also independently stow into the floor. I would assume that in this van perhaps when the seats were last put back into the upright position they either weren't "slammed" down hard enough to securely latch in place, or the latches themselves were going bad/broken, and when he leaned over to reach into the cargo area, the seats came unlatched, dumped him upside-down into the cargo area and landed on top of him. [edit] Once that happens, how a 16 year old male can't push the seats back up into position to get them off I'm not sure, but it must not have been possible.

 

[DLgal]

I wonder how he called 911...if the phone wasn't close enough for him to hear the dispatcher. It's all very odd.

 

[bcla]

I'm not sure how an Odyssey's seat works, but in my 13 year old T&C, all of the seats "latch" onto metal rings/brackets that are sticking up out of the floor. You can "stow" the third row by unlatching it and flipping it down into the cargo area, and in the case of Chryslers the 2nd rows can also independently stow into the floor. I would assume that in this van perhaps when the seats were last put back into the upright position they either weren't "slammed" down hard enough to securely latch in place, or the latches themselves were going bad/broken, and when he leaned over to reach into the cargo area, the seats came unlatched, dumped him upside-down into the cargo area and landed on top of him. [edit] Once that happens, how a 16 year old male can't push the seats back up into position to get them off I'm not sure, but it must not have been possible.

The back is placed forward with the seat, then the whole assembly rotates back to fold flat.

I could see how it might be possible to get trapped, but it would have to be a really freak occurrence.

I remember the GM "space vans" of the early 90s. Those had easily removable modular seats. They didn't specifically fold in, but they could lean forward or even be completely removed. I remember seeing one that was completely stripped of all the seats except the driver and front passenger seats. Each seat latched onto four anchor points. They were also marked as A/B/C types depending on where they could go.

 

[firefly_ris]

OK yep, that is pretty much identical to how my T&C 3rd row works. It seems like it would have to be such a weird specific position to asphyxiate.

I wonder how he called 911...if the phone wasn't close enough for him to hear the dispatcher. It's all very odd.

I read that he was using voice-activated Siri to dial 911.

I remember the GM "space vans" of the early 90s. Those had easily removable modular seats. They didn't specifically fold in, but they could lean forward or even be completely removed. I remember seeing one that was completely stripped of all the seats except the driver and front passenger seats. Each seat latched onto four anchor points. They were also marked as A/B/C types depending on where they could go.

Yeah when my DH and I were first married 11 years ago before the kids he would buy random old cheap cars, including a 1993 canadian version Ford Aerostar someone sold him for $50 because they were being fined wherever they had it parked and had nowhere else to take it. The seats were like you describe... very useful for building supplies which we've been hauling almost continuously since that time, but I find my T&C just as useful even though it's a touch smaller, and I don't have to store the seats in my garage when not in use or hoist them in and out of the vehicle.

 

[bcla]

Yeah when my DH and I were first married 11 years ago before the kids he would buy random old cheap cars, including a 1993 canadian version Ford Aerostar someone sold him for $50 because they were being fined wherever they had it parked and had nowhere else to take it. The seats were like you describe... very useful for building supplies which we've been hauling almost continuously since that time, but I find my T&C just as useful even though it's a touch smaller, and I don't have to store the seats in my garage when not in use or hoist them in and out of the vehicle.

I found a photo of the rear of the last row of seats. You can see the back anchor points. They release by pulling on the bar on the underside of the seats. I think it was possible to order one with only three of the modular seats instead of the full five. Then buy more as needed. But with all the removable seats gone it was like a delivery van.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I found a photo of the rear of the last row of seats. You can see the back anchor points. They release by pulling on the bar on the underside of the seats. I think it was possible to order one with only three of the modular seats instead of the full five. Then buy more as needed. But with all the removable seats gone it was like a delivery van.

The third row seat was a bench seat, though. From the article in the OP:

"This young man was trapped in the third row bench seat, and it is called asphyxia due to chest compression," Deters said. "We are actively working to identify experts to assist us in this investigation."

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Here is a bit more detail, though probably still mostly speculation, idk.

http://driving.ca/honda/odyssey/auto-news/news/ohio-teen-crushed-to-death-by-honda-minivan-seat

"The fold-flat seats are presumed to have pinned Plush to the van’s cargo floor while he was retrieving tennis equipment for a game at his school, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“Parked at Seven Hills for tennis practice, he put a knee on the third-row bench seat and reached over the bench seat into the rear well,” the newspaper quoted a source familiar with the situation.

“The source said the bench seat then flipped backward. The force of that motion and the weight of the seat trapped Plush upside down, head in the rear well and legs in the air against the minivan’s rear door.”

 

[bcla]

The third row seat was a bench seat, though. From the article in the OP:

"This young man was trapped in the third row bench seat, and it is called asphyxia due to chest compression," Deters said. "We are actively working to identify experts to assist us in this investigation."

The video I linked was for a 2007 with an asymmetric split back, so it might have been different. I found this one of a 2002, which should be the same generation. Not sure if split backs were an option, but this was was definitely a solid bench.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Unbelievable that something like this could happen. It’s just so sad, that poor boy. Seems like the police really dropped the ball here.

 

[mom2rtk]

Just awful.