Driveway Accident Kills Iowa 2-Year-Old, Identity Released
Vehicles are big, but kids are small. If you think you can see everything around you, perhaps you should think again.
Despite such advancements in vehicle technology as the backup camera where you can see (and hear) what's behind you without even turning your eyes off the wheel, a national nonprofit group has uncovered a startling statistic, stating an average of about 50 children a week get run over in their own driveway.
This includes the recent tragic death of a Marshall county 2-year-old Macie Rosander of Baxter, according to KCCI. An Iowa State Patrol incident report shows Rosander was riding a tricycle at the time and that the driver looked but did not see the child. No charges have been filed.
The accident happened this past Tuesday, May 17 at 9:10 a.m.
Amber Rollins is with "Kids and Cars", a national nonprofit that is working to keep accidents like this from happening.
People tend to think of things like this as freak accidents, but they're really not. It's happening much more often than anybody can imagine or would like to admit
Rollins says the reason is because of the blind spot that exists behind and on the sides of every vehicle. That backup camera, unfortunately, can't see everything. It also often has to do with a child speeding out of the house, unbeknownst to the other loved one or family member leaving at the same time, as 70 percent of the time in these accidents it's a parent or relative driving the car. Say grandma and grandpa have been visiting from out of town. The child doesn't want them to leave so they rush to follow them out the door and get run into as the car is pulling out. This is an example of how these things often happen.
Rollins suggests childproofing your house with doorknob covers or an alarm, so a toddler isn't tempted to get out when a loved one leaves. If all else fails, develop a plan like the one Rollins personally has.
anytime somebody was leaving, grandma or grandpa leaving, then we would go stand on the front porch together as a family holding hands, holding the little ones, and wave goodbye until we couldn't see them anymore
Sounds a little corny perhaps, but much better than having grandma and grandpa's next visit be at the child's funeral.