A mother from Chester, South Carolina is being investigated after she backed her vehicle over her one-year-old daughter last Wednesday.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement concerning the incident that explains that the 23-year-old mother was attempting to work on her vehicle at the time of the accident.
She was apparently washing the vehicle’s engine out, and decided to move the SUV from one side of the house to the other while the hood was still in the upright position, making it nearly impossible to see her surroundings.
The mother states she was moving the car to get closer to the hose on the opposite side of the home, and did not realize that it would be so dangerous to drive a few feet with the hood up.
According to a Sheriff’s report, the officers were called to Chester Regional Wednesday afternoon to investigate and question the mother. She responded that she did strike her daughter accidentally when she was reversing her SUV.
The impact of the SUV caused the child to fall to the ground and somehow she ended up underneath the vehicle. The mother continued to reverse her car until she heard neighbors yelling at her to “STOP.”
The little girl was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. Her injuries include a broken right arm along with scrapes and burn marks on her abdomen and chest.
Medical personnel determined the best course of action would be to airlift the little girl to Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte for further analysis and treatment.
The case is still under current investigation.
Studies reveal that every week in the United States approximately fifty children will be backed over by vehicles with at least two being injured fatally. Tragically, over 70 percent of these incidents involves a driver that is a parent or close relative. There is always a responsibility for drivers to be aware of what is behind their vehicle before backing up; However, when small children are present, that duty becomes more important than ever. If you or a loved one is hurt in an accident, Call Accident Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower,LLP at 803-548-4444 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.