Hes got some brain damage done, she told Channel 2s Mike Petchenik. They put him in a medically induced coma.
Gilstraps son was one of nearly a dozen people injured last weekend after an SUV flipped in Walton County, ejecting several children.
Gilstraps 7-year-old grandson, Jeremy, was also injured and is recovering at CHOA Scottish Rite.
Gilstrap approached Petchenik as he and a photographer were shooting a story about Georgias new booster seat law, which will require parents to keep their children in a seat until their 8th birthday.
She told Petchenik if the law had been in effect last weekend, her grandson might not have been ejected from the truck.
Keep your child in a booster seat where they belong, she told Petchenik.
CHOAs chief pediatrician, Dr. Jim Fortenberry, told Petchenik that 95 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 8 who came to CHOA after car accidents in the last four years suffered injuries because they werent properly restrained.
Childrens bodies arent built, at that age, to just be in seat belts, he said. A booster seat lifts them up and gets the belt properly set for their body to avoid injury.
Terri Miller, with Safekids Georgia, told Petchenik that injuries from seat belts are so prevalent in that age group that emergency rooms have dubbed it the seat belt syndrome.
This seat belt will cinch up against their abdomen, she told Petchenik. It causes all kinds of internal damages.
The law requires parents to place booster seats in the rear of their vehicle. The seat must be appropriate for the childs weight and height, meet all federal standards, and be installed according to manufacturers instructions.
For details on the new law, click here.