The Arizona Republic,  October 5, 2000

TOT DIES:  DAD ACCIDENTALLY BACKED OVER HER

A 14-month old girl died Wednesday night after her father accidentally backed over her in the driveway, officials said.

The girl apparently went out an open front door and walked behind her father's pickup truck as he backed out of a dirt driveway in the 3900 block of West Sherman Street, Deputy Fire Chief Bob Khan said.  The girl's father heard or felt something and realized he had run over his daughter with the back wheel, Khan said.  She was taken to Phoenix Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Khan said firefighters see such accidents involving children regularly, though not all of them are fatal.  Children ages 4 and under are too short to be seen over the bumper of a vehicle.

"They are in a blind spot all the way around the car," Khan said.  "You just don't see them and they have no concept of vehicles."

Fire officials urge people to check for children around their vehicles and then to move slowly.

"They're so quick that they get behind you," Khan said.  "Be aware that they're around."

The Los Angeles Times,  September 4, 2001

TODDLER KILLED AS MOTHER BACKS CAR IN DRIVEWAY

An El Monte woman backing a car down the driveway of her home Monday struck and killed her 21-month old daughter, police said.

Doris Hernandez, 29, was driving just before 10 a.m. when she hit her daughter, Marily, in the 2600 block of Tyler Avenue, said Lt. Craig Sperry of the El Monte Police Department.

The girl was rushed to an El Monte hospital but was pronounced dead, Sperry said.

The Arizona Republic,  September 27, 2001

DAD ACCIDENTLY DRIVES OVER TODDLER

PHOENIX - A 1-year old boy died Wednesday after his father ran over him with a tow truck about 8:30 a.m. outside their home, authorities said.

Fabian Herrera was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center after the accident in the 1600 block of South 28th Avenue.

Police believe the boy's father, Jorge Herrera, was leaving for work and apparently did not realize the child had followed him outside.

Tampa, FL., 2001

MOTHER RUNS OVER UNSEEN CHILD

Her 3-year old climbed out of the van when she left it briefly in a driveway, authorities say.  The boy died after hours of surgery.

A 3-year old boy died Sunday after his mother accidentally backed over him with her minivan in a driveway, authorities said.  Jesus A. Quinones climbed out of his car seat and through a broken window while his mother, Deisy Ortiz, 29, left him and two siblings unattended for a few minutes about 10 a.m. Sunday.

When she returned, she didn't realize he was missing, so she started the van and began backing up.  The boy's 6-year old brother yelled that Jesus had climbed out, but it was too late.  Jesus was knocked to the ground.

"I heard a scream," said Harold Molenaar, who lives at the house where the accident occurred.  "I thought she was punishing the kid.  I thought she spanked him or something."

Jesus died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa at 3 p.m. after nearly four hours of emergency surgery, said hospital spokesman Greg Borstowicz.

Ortiz's sister-in-law, who identified herself only as Fina, said the family tried to remain optimistic during the surgery but feared the eventual outcome.

"The doctor came to tell us the boy suffered a lot of internal bleeding," she said through tears at her home, where Ortiz is staying.  Fina said the family was grieving and did not with to comment further.

Police said they do not intend to file charges against Ortiz.

"It's just an accidental death." said Sgt. R. J. Reynolds of the Tampa Police Department.  "That's what we've got at this point in time."

Los Angeles Times, 2002

FOR TODDLERS, THERE'S DANGER IN DRIVEWAY

Jill Mesecher thought she and her husband, Rob, had done all they could to protect their 18-month old daughter.

The Stevenson Ranch couple had assiduously child-proofed their home.  They had bought little Makena not one but three car seats and made sure to buckle her in every time before getting on the road.

On a July afternoon last year, Rob Mesecher decided to back their Ford Explorer out of the driveway to make room to wash his wife's car.  He say Makena playing near the garage door, and he shifted into reverse.  When the father realized his only child had vanished from sight, he braked immediately.

It was too late.  The toddler apparently ran to the moving vehicle, according to police, and her father unknowingly backed up over her, killing her.

"You can be as careful as you can possibly be...You don't expect it to happen to you," Jill Mesecher said recently.  Her husband was still too distraught to discuss their daughter's death.  "Children are lightning quick."

An increasing number of conscientious parents like the Mesechers are learning a terrible lesson:  One of the most dangerous places for toddlers lies close to home, right in the family driveway.

A significant number of small children are seriously injured or killed every year by a vehicle backing out of a driveway or a parking lot such as an apartment complex.  Compounding the grief is that much of the time, the drivers in these accidents are the children's own parents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, children ages 1 to 4 represent about 6% of the U.S. population but account for 30% of those killed in backing crashes that occur in off-road areas such as parking lots and residential driveways.

An estimated 116 children in that age group die this way every year, according to a study by the agency based on data from the early 1990s.

"There are so many blind spots around a vehicle, even with a small car," said Sgt. CLint Bowers of the 15 feet behind a vehicle you can't see."

Jill Mesecher agrees with that assessment.  "It could have happened in any car," she said, adding that all parents should be warned of the potential dangers in their driveway, regardless of what kind of vehicle they drive."