Practice Areas
Blog 
Car, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents
News
Rollover Accident in Cedar Rapids Sends 3 to Hospital...
Posted on 1/24/2012
2 Children Suffer Head Injuries in Cedar Rapids Car Crash...
Posted on 1/23/2012
Driver Dies After Suffering a Brain Injury in an Eastern Iowa Crash...
Posted on 1/9/2012
Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Lands Three in Jail After Eastern Iowa Crashes...
Posted on 12/26/2011
72-Year-Old Woman Hospitalized After Linn County Crash...
Posted on 12/21/2011
Truck Driver Killed in a Fiery Iowa Truck Crash...
Posted on 12/4/2011
Cedar Rapids Motorcycle Crash Sends Rider to Hospital with Head Injuries...
Posted on 11/20/2011
Wrong-Way Crash in Cedar Rapids Flips Jeep on Its Roof...
Posted on 11/19/2011
Cedar Rapids Rollover Crash Sends 2 to the Hospital and 1 to Jail...
Posted on 11/8/2011
Pedestrian Suffers Brain Injury After Bus Accident in Cedar Rapids...
Posted on 11/7/2011
Library
Car, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents
- Heads Up: Traumatic Brain Injury May Follow a Cedar Rapids Auto Accident
- 5 Reasons For Winter Weather Truck Accidents in Eastern Iowa
- Preparing Your Vehicle for Winter Driving Could Help You Avoid an Iowa Car Crash
- What Happens When Truck Brakes Fail in Eastern Iowa?
- The Reality of Senior Drivers and Cedar Rapids Auto Accidents
What Every Driver Should Know About Backover Accidents in Iowa
Did you know that approximately 100 children die every year due to a backover accident? A backover accident occurs when people are injured or killed because a driver did not see them while they were backing up. Because children are harder to see behind a vehicle due to their small height, children are in a high-risk group for getting injured. In fact, kids five years old and younger are in the highest risk group for these types of accidents.
In 2007, a father backed his minivan into the driveway and ran over his 16-month-old son in an Iowa backover accident. Unfortunately, his son later died as a result of injuries. These accidents happen all over the country because young children are extremely mobile and do not understand the dangers of a vehicle. When a child is involved in this type of accident, serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury, severe head trauma, or death result.
NHTSA reveals that approximately 2,000 children (14 years old and younger) in 2007 were hurt from a vehicle backing up. Typically, when a backover accident involves a young child, the driver is a relative such as a mom, dad or grandparent. Most of the time, these accidents occur on the street or the driveway of the child's residence. Minivans and SUVs have the biggest blind spots and have a higher chance of being involved in backover accidents than passenger vehicles.
The majority of backover accidents in Iowa are preventable. The following are tips to prevent these types of accidents:
- Walk around your vehicle before backing up
- Roll down windows to hear what is happening
- Look carefully and back up slowly
- Be aware of children
- Install rear video cameras and/or sensors
If you have children, teach them to:
- Move away from a running vehicle
- Wave goodbye from the porch of the house
- Never to play behind a vehicle
Rear video cameras and sensors can help, but a driver still needs to pay attention, check the rearview mirrors, drive slowly, be alert and have quick reactions to avoid hitting a child. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says, "Technology to detect people behind vehicles isn't fully developed and perhaps will never be 100 percent effective so it is likely drivers will always need to be vigilant."
If you or your child was injured by a vehicle backing up in Iowa, you probably have many questions for which you need answers. Contact an experienced Iowa accident attorney for a free legal consultation. You may be able to receive compensation for pain, medical bills, and lost wages. Call the Iowa personal injury lawyers at Brady & O'Shea at (319) 866-9277 today.
Free
Case Consultation
Contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation about your personal injury legal needs.
Brady & O'Shea, PC
2735 1st Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Phone: 319-866-9277
Fax: 319-866-9280
Get Directions
Social Media
Video Library
Car, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents:
FAQs
Car, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents
- I heard there is a new cell phone law in Iowa for drivers. Is this true?
- Should truck drivers stay off the roads in winter or drive differently to minimize truck accidents?
- I rear-ended another car because the vehicle's brake lights and taillights were out. I also suffered injuries and want to pursue a claim, but am I liable since I hit him?
