Injury lawyers look at driveway crashes
An infant is in hospital after he was run over by his father who was driving the family’s four-wheel drive, whilst in their driveway, it has been revealed.
The 15-month-old has two broken legs and internal injuries after he was involved in the car accident.
The father said that the incident occurred when he was trying to negotiate through the narrow driveway and was not focusing on the gate, where his son was standing.
It is believed that the youngster was watching his brother and sister get into the vehicle and begun walking towards them.
The case is very similar to another accident in 2005, when a father ran over his 19-month-old daughter in their driveway. She survived after spending a month in hospital.
Shockingly, six children have already been admitted to hospital within an month with serious wounds caused by driveway collisions.
Bronwyn Griffin, a specialist at a medical research institute, has been studying low speed driveway runovers and noted that the hazards arise due to a toddler’s unpredictable nature and poor-rear-ward visibility.
He stated that tragically, most of the time it is the parent who is at the wheel. He said: “What we're finding is the younger the child, the more serious the injury is, and the more likely they are to have multiple traumas, which are potentially fatal injuries.”
He added: “Often there's been a miscommunication about who's supervising a child or an assumed awareness of where a child might be so supervision is key for preventing the injury.”
Although children up to eight or nine years of age may be injured in slow speed accidents – commonly resulting in injuries to feet or legs from runovers – it is usually toddlers who suffer serious injuries when they run out to the driveway unexpectedly.
As a result, injury results have urged car manufacturers to adhere to safety regulations and create better viewing appliances for those in bigger cars.
Whilst not all 4WD are responsible for the majority of crashes, when accident do happen- the wounds inflicted by such vehicles can be devastating.
Such motors have heavy chassis and it is generally the overall weight of the car that can be the most dangerous, thus resulting in the velocity of injuries.
Ms Griffin pointed out that preventative measures are vital in decreasing driveway accidents, adding that supervision is paramount.
“If there's another adult at home be sure you communicate effectively with them to restrain the children away from the driveway,” she stated.
Injury lawyers and Ms Griffin advised parents to fence off the driveway and segregate it completely to reduce accidents. They also recommended the installation of rear vision cameras in family cars.