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Preventing future tragedies: The ROTH ID tag’s mission is to keep families safe

The ROTH ID Tag is an emergency contact identification system for car seats and booster seats, created in honor of Julie Roth, who died in a 46-car crash in 2022.

TOLEDO, Ohio — It's been almost two years since four people died in a 46-vehicle crash on the Ohio Turnpike.

Now, the family of one of the victims wants to remind the public to be prepared for emergencies.

When Julie Roth strapped her two toddlers in the car and headed toward the Turnpike on Dec. 23, 2022, she was just expecting to enjoy the holidays.

"It was Christmastime and my daughter, and her two children were traveling to my house," said Roth's mother, Cindy Hildebrand, who went on to found the Julie Roth Memorial Foundation with Roth's sister, Lauren Crafton.

Roth was one of the four people killed in the crash, and her grandchildren were taken to a nearby hospital alone.

"They had spent hours and hours unidentified in the hospital when I was just 10 minutes from there," Hildebrand said.

A day later, Hildebrand and Crafton made it their mission to prevent another family from being left in the dark. They created the ROTH ID Tag, an emergency contact identification system for car seats and booster seats.

"It needs to be in a highly visible place for first responders to see. Sometimes it will have to go on the back or bottom of the seat which is why we provide a signal tag," Crafton said.

On the tag, you can add three emergency contacts, medical information and information to help find a lost child or a child's family.

Because of reviews, Crafton said she believes it makes emergency situations better for everyone involved.

"I've talked to a first responder who unfortunately was on the side of the road with a child with an unresponsive mother and they were able to find the ROTH ID Tag and that child had family waiting at the hospital for them before they even arrived," she said.

Information on the tag is concealed and faces the seat until its needed. It also turns into a bracelet for children to wear.

Roth's family said if you can't gain access to a tag, they encourage you to use duct tape or add your own tag because the goal is to make sure every passenger is identifiable and safe.

"Help your child out and have that information available so they are fully prepared," Hildebrand said.

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