How the ROTH ID tag can be a critical tool at helping first responders in emergencies

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A new tool can now be used to assist and protect children in adult care during emergencies.

The tool, known as the ROTH ID tag, can help first responders when parents or guardians cannot do so.

In a snowstorm on the Ohio Turnpike three days before Christmas in 2022, the unimaginable happened. In the resulting 47-vehicle pile-up, Julie Roth, who was on her way to a family Christmas celebration, was killed.

"She didn't survive, but her two toddlers in the backseat did. They were left unidentified for hours while they were just 10 minutes away from their entire family," said Lauren Crafton, ROTH ID founder and CEO.

Julie's sister Lauren says first responders were desperate to identify the kids.

"My sister's car was pinned between two semis, so her VIN, license plate, wallet, [and] her phone was lost, so they didn't even have a way to identify her or contact her husband," Crafton added.

The trauma of that delay prompted this Pittsburgh Art Institute graduate to create the ROTH ID tag.

"It's an emergency contact identification system for car seats. Parents simply fill out the back with their child's information and three emergency contacts."

It's applied to the highly visible side of the car seat.

"First responders simply pull on it, and it turns into a wristband that goes around the child's arm or leg so that their information stays with them no matter where they end up," Crafton said.

Adults can also include important medical information on the tag.

"It could be the difference between life and death. At the very least, for a child that's unidentified, it could be the difference between hours or days versus minutes," Crafton said.

Crafton says they worked with first responders who anxiously embraced the idea because it's heartbreaking for first responders to deal with a deceased or incapacitated parent and a child they can't identify.

How can a parent get one?

Go to the ROTH ID website . You can order a couple of tags for $15, or they have larger packs depending on how many you might need.

One hundred thousand of these ID tags are on car seats, booster seats, and strollers, with proceeds going to the Julie Roth Foundation, dedicated to keeping families safe and connected.