My daughter who was 13 at the time closed the automatic door, and then went reaching to put her seatbelt on. When she did this, her finger was in the space where the door closes at just the time it locked closed and her finger got caught in the door. She was in a lot of pain, but was able to pull her finger free. It wasn't broken, but very painful and swollen for a few days. She wasn't doing anything wrong when this happened and could have lost her finger. It's a normal thing to reach for a seat belt without turning your whole body to pull it.

If you have similar experiences with the Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette, or Pontiac Transport/Montana, then I urge you to make a report to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, as they are conducting an investigation, and may force GM to recall these vans.

Their auto safety hotline number is 1-888-DASH-2-DOT

September 19, '04 was a Sunday evening like any other; we had waited for Brian to get off of work, and then we all headed to the new Van that was parked along the side of old Route 66 in Oatman AZ. I got in the drivers seat and buckled my seat belt. Brian was still climbing in to the front passenger seat, and Kristen (8 years old) was in the first row of back passenger seat- on the passenger side. She had buckled in and closed the door, leaving her hand resting on the handle of the Automatic sliding door.

Dustin (14 years old) opened the passenger side sliding door with the outside handle, which engaged the Automatic door opener. before Kristen, or any of the rest of us knew what was happening, her elbow was pushed up against the back of her seat, which left her arm wedged between the door handle, and the seat of the van. The door did not quit trying to open, and the bone in her arm between her wrist and elbow bent, (she is still young enough to have pretty pliable bones) and then fractured on the outer most part of the bend, leaving her with a green stick fracture.

I heard her arm "pop" and so did she. My daughter began screaming, and I drove her immediately to the home of Oatman's fire chief, who splinted her arm, and sent us on to the Needles Hospital for an x-ray. By the time we reached the hospital, Kristen was asleep, and was in good spirits throughout her visit to the hospital. The x-ray confirmed the break, and the Doctor on call (Donovan Anderson) ordered a splint to be put on for 3-5 days, and then she is to see an Orthopedic Doctor for a cast.

By the time we reached home her arm began to swell, and the wrapping around the splint was too tight, leaving her fingers a pale purple color. I removed the wrapping, and re-wrapped it looser to allow for better circulation. For the first time since the initial break, Kristen began to complain of pain in her arm. I gave her a Tylenol, and put her in bed with her arm elevated on a pillow. She slept well through-out the night, but the wrapping was again too tight in the morning, and so I loosened it once more. Kristen attended school on Monday 9-21, and saw the nurse through-out the day to have her fingers checked, and to get Tylenol for the pain.

You can read more about our story, and about the recall information on my site.