DENVER, Colo. -- Sherry San Martin lost her daughter in a deadly car crash nearly 10 years ago. It was a death she said could have been avoided had she known more about booster seats. She thought a seat belt was enough.

"Unfortunately, I was not aware of the dangers of putting a child that size in an adult seat belt," said San Martin.

It's a reality San Martin said that tears her apart every day.

"There's not a moment that goes by that I don't wish that I had known. I just so much want to reach out to as many people as I can," San Martin said. "I wish my daughter didn't have to be the example."

In 1998, San Martin's 5-year-old daughter, Drew, was old enough to ride without a booster seat. The legal age was 4. She was old enough, but not big enough to survive in just a seat belt when their car went off the highway.

"She was thrown out of her seat belt and out of the car and killed instantly," said San Martin.

San Martin said she believes current state law allowing 6-year-olds to ride without a booster doesn't go far enough to protect children.

Another mother who believes that is Lisa Stroyan. She survived a terrifying, rollover crash with her son, Alex.

"When I got to the top of the hill and looked 137 feet down, my first thought was, 'How did anyone survive that?'" said Stroyan.

Stroyan said she now knows how lucky she is.

"I was pretty scared. I was panicking a lot," said Stroyan.

Incredibly, Alex walked away without one bruise.

Stroyan said she knows a last-minute decision to grab her son's booster seat saved him from the unthinkable.

"The main thing is, in this case, it was positioned over my son's hips. So instead of hanging by his belly, he was hanging by his hips," said Stroyan.

Injuries associated with these types of crashes can be life-threatening said Dr. Kathryn Emery, with Children's Hospital. She said the big ones are abdominal and head injuries.

A booster seat spared Alex Stroyan that pain. He's now 10 and a passionate booster seat advocate.

San Martin said she knows if just one parent reading this is moved to make a change, her loss won't be in vain.

"It's just so senseless and preventable," said San Martin.