BATON ROUGE — The tragic death of a one-year-old boy who fell from a pickup truck and was run over has Baton Rouge Police officers investigating why there were no child car seats inside the vehicle.

The Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed that Nicholas Aguilar was not properly restrained when he fell from a Dodge Ram pickup truck Friday morning at a gas station.

Investigators say the truck was turning through a parking lot when the rear passenger door opened. Nicholas fell onto the concrete, and the truck’s rear passenger-side tire ran over him. He later died from his injuries.

Police have not announced any charges. When asked by WBRZ whether charges are being considered, a department spokesperson said the case remains under investigation as a traffic accident.

Safety advocates say the tragedy highlights why child car seats are critical.

Mark Lambert with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says Louisiana law requires young children to be secured in proper restraints.

“All children have to be in a car seat until they're big enough or old enough to get out of one, and that starts from when you take them home from the hospital,” Lambert said.

Lambert explained that young children’s bodies are especially vulnerable in crashes.

“Their bodies haven't developed, and they need more protection, and the only thing that can really provide that accurately is a child safety seat,” he said.

State data underscores the risk. In 2024, 13 children ages 13 and under were killed in crashes in Louisiana. Of those, only four were properly restrained.

Lambert says proper use of a car seat dramatically improves a child’s chance of survival.

“If a child is properly restrained in a car seat, their chances of not being injured and/or surviving a crash are much, much higher,” he said.

Janette Fennell, founder of Kids and Car Safety, says parents and caregivers must take that responsibility seriously.

“Louisiana has laws that say you have to buckle up your children, so you're breaking the law if you don't do that,” Fennell said.

Fennell added that a properly installed car seat would have prevented a child from falling out of the vehicle.

“If that child was in a car seat, correctly restrained, there's no way they could fall out,” she said.

She also urged parents to use additional safety features inside vehicles.

“Child locks are very important,” Fennell said.

Fennell says the message is simple: secure your child every time.

“This is so important to keep our little precious cargo in those car seats, because otherwise they can get harmed. In fact, they can even get killed,” Fennell said.

More information on how to properly restrain a child in a car seat, along with additional safety resources, can be found here.

Police say the investigation into Nicholas Aguilar’s death remains ongoing.