After a Motor Vehicle Crash: How to Care for Your Child

Your child has no serious injuries from being in the motor vehicle crash. You may notice some bruises from being bumped around in the crash. Your child may have more soreness or muscle pain in the next few days. This should be better in a week. There are things you can do to help your child feel better at home.

• If your child has pain, you can give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol® or a store brand) OR ibuprofen (such as Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand).

• For the next 2 days:

  • Put a cold pack on the sore parts of the body for 5–10 minutes every 2–3 hours while your child is awake. Wrap the ice or cold pack in a cloth or a towel, and do not put ice directly on the skin. 

• If your child still has pain after 2 days of using ice:

  • Ask your health care provider about using a heating pad on the sore areas.

  • Be sure to follow all the heating pad's safety instructions. 

Your child:

• has pain that doesn't get better with pain medicine

• has pain that lasts for more than a few days or gets worse

• has pink, brown, or tea-colored urine (pee)

• has black poop

• gets a bad headache

• starts vomiting

• gets a fever for no clear reason

• is irritable or cranky, cannot be calmed down, or is not acting like himself or herself

Your child:

• is hard to wake up

• has trouble walking or talking

Do we need a new car seat for our child after the car crash? It's very important to make sure your children are always safe in a car. So you will need a new car seat if the car crash was more than a minor one. That's because the seat may be damaged in ways you can't see. A crash is considered minor if all these statements are true: 

• The car was able to be driven from the crash.

• No one was hurt in the crash.

• The door closest to the car seat was not damaged.

• The air bags did not go off.

• There is no damage seen on the car seat.

If you're not sure if the seat needs to be replaced, call the manufacturer or check websites like www.safercar.gov or www.seatcheck.org.