It’s a tragic and all-too-common scenario — a parent leaves to go to work or the grocery store and kisses a toddler “bye bye.” The child doesn’t want the parent to leave and cries for a few minutes. Even worse, the child follows the parent outside without the parent’s knowledge because the person responsible for caring for the toddler in the parent’s absence looked away for just a second. The parent climbs into a car or SUV, backs out of the driveway, and runs over the toddler.
A shocking 50 children per week are the victims of backover accidents nationwide — with more than 70 percent of those involving a driver who is a parent or close relative. The driver would never dream of doing anything to endanger or harm the child, but just didn’t see the child because they were too small and in a blind spot.
A backover accident occurs when a vehicle is backing up, usually out of a driveway or parking space, and hits a pedestrian or cyclist in the process. In most cases, the driver does not see the victim before reversing and even at relatively low speeds continues to accelerate until it’s too late. Because the driver fails to stop the vehicle immediately, an ensuing collision can cause serious or fatal injuries.
Did you know that 13,000 injuries are caused annually by backover incidents? Unfortunately, backover accidents commonly involve children, with toddlers under 5 years old experiencing the highest risk of being hit. Such unintentional accidents cause thousands of life-threatening injuries and deaths amongst kids every year.
Because of the growing rate of backover accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association proposed that all new car models must provide a built-in rear backup camera in order to minimize the relatively large blind zone. The average blind zone radius is approximately 15 to 25 feet, and can be even wider for trucks and SUVs.
The good news is that last year a new regulation called the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act was enacted that introduced more rigorous rear visibility standards. Starting in May 2018, new vehicles sold or leased will be mandated to come with rearview safety technology.
There are steps that you can take to prevent backover accidents and protect your children from harm.
You can visit KidsandCars.org for more useful tips and stories.
The loss or suffering of a loved one — especially a child — can be devastating and traumatic. It is a lot to deal with on your own. Our team of compassionate personal injury attorneys at Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. can help. If you or a family member has been recently injured in a backover accident, we want to help take care of your financial recovery so you can focus on physical and emotional healing.
An experienced personal injury attorney will handle all of the required paperwork and forms and collect necessary legal and medical documentation to file a claim on your behalf. We strive to fight for the maximum compensation possible under the circumstances of each case.
Our car accident attorneys serve clients throughout the Chicago area, including Aurora, Elgin, Hinsdale, Joliet, Naperville, and Waukegan. In the past, we have assisted victims from all walks of life and attained settlements to cover costs for emergency room visits, surgeries, treatments, physical therapy, pain and suffering, and other damages. Our mission is to provide the best service for you and your family. We will not charge any fees unless a settlement is received. For more information, schedule a free consultation with one of our lawyers today by calling .
When you’re fighting for maximum compensation, we know what it takes to get it.
