According to data from the NHTSA, there are around 2,400 children injured after being struck or run over by a car in a driveway each week. Of these, 2 of the children will die from their injuries. Backover accidents account for 42% of all non-traffic related auto fatalities each year. Front-over accidents account for another 22%. Most of the time, it is a child’s parent or another relative who is behind the wheel of the car. Many times, the driver is unaware that the child is in the way of the vehicle. Sometimes, they slip out of the house without the driver noticing.
ABC 15 reports that a Florida family has lost 2 children to driveway accidents in the past four years.
On Tuesday night, a 2-year-old boy was run over by an SUV being driven by his mother. According to the sheriff’s office, the boy’s mother and grandmother were testing a Chevy Blazer that was having mechanical issues. The mother reversed, then drove forward, and reversed again.
She then saw the boy on the ground in front of the SUV and called 911 immediately. The mother informed investigators that the boy had somehow slipped out of the house without anyone noticing.
The boy was flown to Tampa General where he was pronounced dead.
This is the second incident in which a child was killed in a driveway accident at that address. In 2015, a 2-year-old girl was run over when she fell out of the open door of a moving van.
Child protective investigators responded to the home on Tuesday night and an investigation is ongoing.