As part of my volunteer work with Kidsandcars.org - Canada I came across two recent media reports of children being injured due to car roll overs.
Child Hurt in Freak Accident
Father in Lumby Runs Over his Young Son Accidentally
A toddler was injured after being hit by a family vehicle in their driveway. Police say the father unhooked a trailer and pulled the truck forward at the same time the young child walked in front of the truck. The father did not know the child was there.
Worst Nightmare
Stories like these are every parents worst nightmare. But what struck me is the headline of the first story that referred to the incident as a "Freak Accident". But that implies that this type of injury is rare and unforseen.
Unfortunately that isn't the case. Every year, thousands of children are hurt or die because a driver moving forward didn't see them. The majority of these incidents take place, like the incident in Vancouver, in residential driveways or parking lots and are referred to as ‘frontovers.’
A "backover" injury usually takes place when a parent (or other driver) is backing out of a residential driveway or parking lot.
For example, in the U.S. at least fifty children are being backed over by vehicles EVERY week. Forty-eight (48) are treated in hospital emergency rooms and at least two (2) children are fatality injured every WEEK. The predominant age of victims is one year olds. (12‐23 months)
Over 60% of backing up incidents involved a larger size vehicle. Tragically, in over 70% of these incidents, a parent or close relative is behind the wheel.
Unfortunately I have seen for myself the catastrophic injuries that can be caused by inattention and lack of awareness. I represented the family of a toddler who suffered serious injuries after being hit by a car backing out of a parking spot: Boy pinned between cars awarded $1.4M
Kidsandcars.org - Canada
There are no reliable Canadian statistics for these types of incidents in Canada. That's because, until now, no one was paying attention! That's one of the reasons why I have agreed to Chair Kidsandcars.org - Canada . To help educate the public about these dangers and to try to help prevent these types of injuries in the future.
Want More Information?
If you want more information about Kidsandcars.org - Canada or how you can help, you can contact me through this blog or go to the website at kidsandcars.org.
