Child seat thrown out as car overturns

The child safety seat in which 2-year-old Ana Singleton was riding when it was thrown from an overturning van Wednesday night on U.S. 231 North landed some distance away from the vehicle. She was critically injured, investigators say.
(T-G Photo by David Melson)

Ana Singleton was listed in critical condition this morning at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, said Lt. Trey Clanton, an accident investigator with the Shelbyville Police Department.

She was riding in a van driven by her mother, Crystal Singleton, 24, of Regent Drive, who was treated and released at Heritage Medical Center, Clanton said.

Ana's child safety seat landed approximately 20 yards south of the van, investigators including Lt. Johnny Hunter, of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, said. Rescuers said they found her lying unconscious next to the seat.

Officers were notified of the accident via a call to 911 about 6:45 p.m. Arriving officers told emergency radio dispatchers Ana was "unresponsive."

The older model Chevrolet Astro van was northbound about a half-mile south of Shelbyville Municipal Airport when it ran off the right side of the road, Clanton said.

"It looks like the right rear tire came apart and she lost control," Clanton said. "The van flipped over five times."

Skid marks and tire tracks indicated the van slid through a grassy field into the front yard of a residence. Clanton estimated the path at "probably around 150 feet."

Clanton said this morning the accident is still under investigation and he had not determined if seat belts were in use.