Tablet computer 'kills child' in car crash in Spain

The death of a girl hit by a tablet computer in a car accident has raised concerns about the safety of using such devices in moving vehicles.

The three-year-old was killed after her mother's car collided with the back of a school bus in Spain on Monday.

Local reports indicate the girl was strapped into an Isofix-anchored child seat but the impact caused the tablet to fly into her face.

Road safety organisations have stressed that the tragedy was highly unusual.

The accident occurred in Vilanova de Arousa, a town in the north-west of Spain.
The child has not been named but is reported to be the granddaughter of a well-known local businessman.

Although the cause of death has yet to be confirmed, the police have said that the unsecured tablet had appeared to have caused severe head injuries.

The girl's 26-year-old mother and a student on the bus were said to have been treated for minor injuries.

"This is a tragic accident, which will send a shudder down the spine of every parent who lets their child use a tablet or smartphone as entertainment on any car journey," the RAC's road safety expert Pete Williams told the BBC.

"We have not heard of any similar incidents but it is important to realise that in a high-speed accident any hard object which is not strapped down inside a vehicle has the potential to become a lethal projectile."