Two different Arizona car accidents, one in Phoenix and the other in Tucson, have recently claimed the lives of two children, Reuters is reporting.
In Phoenix a two-year-old girl was killed after a pickup truck being driven by her father rolled over her while backing out of the driveway. The incident occurred at the family’s home on Tuesday morning, May 31.
The girl had been playing with her brother in the front yard of their house, which is located in the area of Thunderbird Road and 35th Ave. around 10:30 AM. The father had been watching the kids at the time.
The mother then came home, and the father then mistakenly thought mom was watching the kids. The father then backed his vehicle down the driveway to go run errands, and in doing so struck his daughter, according to azfamily.com.
The child was rushed to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where she passed away from injuries sustained in the accident.
The Phoenix Police Department handled the crash investigation, and no criminal charges are expected to be filed, police saying that this was a tragic accident.
In a second Arizona pedestrian accident that resulted in the death of a toddler, a 25-year-old mother allegedly struck her four-year-old son with a vehicle on May 30th in Tucson. The child was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center where he died a short time later.
Police are stating they believe the mother was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She has since been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and child abuse.
While our condolences go out to both families, tragic cases such as these serve as an important reminder for drivers to use extreme caution around homes with children.
Backing out of residential driveways can be especially hazardous. Even when a driver is being cautious, sometimes smaller children can’t be seen through a rear view mirror.
When my own mother was a toddler, she sustained a badly fractured leg when a milk truck driver backed over her. After the incident, the driver was so disturbed by the accident that he refused to return to the house and was put on new route.
The addition of rear view cameras and sensors on many vehicles will hopefully reduce the number of these accidents. According to autoweek.com, the Department of Transportation has proposed a new mandate to require all new cars sold in the USA weighing under 10,000 pounds to have rear view cameras by September, 2014.
The NHTSA states that on average there are 292 deaths and 18,000 injuries per year from back-over collisions.
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