LAKE COUNTY – A child injured in a crash late last week is recovering, officials reported Thursday.

The 3-year-old girl was injured when the pickup truck she was a passenger in collided with a power pole on Spruce Grove Road late Friday night, as Lake County News has reported.

The California Highway Patrol reported that the child's condition has significantly improved since the collision last Friday that caused a major head injury.

Her father, Ruben Gaona Gornejo of Santa Rosa, stated that it is a miracle she is talking and interacting with family, according to the report from CHP Officer Steve Tanguay.

Tanguay said that CHP investigators conducted nearly four days of investigation, including interviews and examination of physical evidence.

Original reports from the scene had indicated the pickup and another vehicle were racing before the crash. Tanguay said that has not been confirmed, although a witness did report that another vehicle was tailgating Gornejo's truck at one point.

CHP investigators concluded that the 3-year-old was improperly restrained at the time of the collision, Tanguay said.

She was riding in a child passenger seat not designed to be used as a booster or belt positioning seat which caused improper seatbelt positioning. Tanguay said that improper positioning allowed her head to strike the interior of the pickup at the time of the collision.

Tanguay said the CHP wants to remind everyone with children to make sure all they are properly restrained at all times.

He said the CHP has available technicians to help the public learn which child safety seat is right for a specific child, and how to properly install the child safety seat.

Call the local CHP office at 707-279-0103 for more information.

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