Florida Children Are At Risk For Fatal Injuries In Backover Accidents
A mother got into her car and backed out of her driveway to discover that she ended up backing over her son. Sadly, these accidents happen, although rare. In fact, approximately 100 children die every year due to backover accidents.
What is a backover accident?
A backover accident is when someone gets struck or ran over while they are standing behind a vehicle that is in reverse. Typically these types of accidents occur in a driveway or parking lot and involve children, since they are harder to see when backing up.
Because children are smaller in height, extremely mobile, and run away or hide from their parents they do not realize the dangers of standing behind motor vehicles. A child is at higher risk for suffering injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, internal injuries or fatalities in these Florida backover accidents.
Also, backover accidents typically involve sport utility vehicles, minivans or larger cars that have blind spots. The Department of Transportation says that blind spots are the cause for 60% of backover accidents.
Children Injured in South Florida Backover Accidents
Children from 1-5 years old are in the highest risk group for backover accidents. Because of these statistics, many groups are requesting law makers to require vehicles to have camera systems or reverse systems that sense the proximity of objects around the car.
A bill called Kids and Cars Safety is now gaining support that would require automakers to equip every vehicle with a back-up camera by the fall of 2014. This would help reduce injuries and fatalities because a camera would display the rear image of the vehicle so that the driver would know if their car is getting too close to a person or another vehicle.
Although cameras and technology can help reduce injuries and loss of lives in these accidents, drivers still need to pay attention to their surroundings when backing up, even in their own driveway.
If someone has backed up over your child or someone you love, you may be entitled to compensation for their negligence. Contact David M. Benenfeld today for a free consultation.
