A family is devastated after a
driveway back-up accident claimed the life of a 3-year old little girl in the
Lakewood Forest subdivision in northwest Harris County. The accident happened in the 1100 block of Ericston early in the afternoon as the father was backing his full-size pickup truck out of the driveway: he did not know his daughter was anywhere nearby. Another adult was in the home and it is not known how the little girl got out of the house. After the accident the girl’s father screamed for help and a neighbor who had recently completed a first aid and CPR course responded. The neighbor drove the father and the little girl to
St. Luke’s Hospital which was only a mile and a half from the home, however the girl was pronounced dead on arrival.
Harris County Precinct 4 responded to the accident and characterize it as a terrible accident: there was no recklessness on the father’s part. Back-over accidents are surprisingly common. The NHTSA statistic is that as many as five small children are killed each week in back-over accidents. The NHTSA offers the following suggestions to
help prevent such accidents:
1. Always check your mirrors BEFORE you start backing up
2. Walk around your vehicle and check BEFORE backing up, particularly if you drive a large vehicle with high ground clearance, like a pickup truck or SUV
3. Roll down the windows and turn off the radio so you can hear what is going on outside the vehicle
4. Teach children how important it is to stand clear of vehicles
