The father of two toddlers thrown from a Jeep in a highway crash is likely to face criminal charges, officials said Wednesday.
The accident occurred on Sunday on the I-10 East Freeway, on the outskirts of Houston, Texas. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described the incident on X as “a two-car crash where one of the cars flipped over several times causing ejection.”
Among those ejected from the overturned vehicle were a four-year-old and a one-year-old, the sheriff's office said. Video showed the two toddlers, dressed only in diapers, stranded on the highway before being rescued.
An investigation revealed that neither child was in a car seat at the time of the crash.
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"They were just sitting in the back of the vehicle, not strapped to anything," said Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Both children are being treated at the hospital and remain in “serious but stable condition,” said the sheriff’s office. Their father, the driver, was treated for minor injuries and released.
Texas state law requires that children under the age of 8 be secured in a child safety seat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, child safety seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 54% for toddlers ages one to four. In 2022, 39% of children killed in traffic crashes were not properly restrained.
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Although no charges have been filed yet, the sheriff's office confirmed that the case remains under investigation and indicated that charges against the father "will likely be filed soon."
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NBC News' Bryan Gallion and John Filippelli contributed.
