A child was run over in a driveway at the Jersey Shore. Police believe the toddler’s mother was driving the vehicle. NBC10’s Ted Greenberg has the details.
Neighbors rushed in to help when a mom accidentally ran over her 14-month-old daughter in the driveway of their New Jersey home Tuesday afternoon.
"I heard people screaming, so I came outside," said Elizabeth Carreon who lives on Flatbush Avenue. "I go over there, and the baby is underneath the car."
Carreon, another neighbor and the toddler's aunt all helped lift the red Hyundai Elantra so the little girl's mother could get her out.
"[The mom] was just crying, trying to make the baby cry or breathe, but I hope everything is okay," Carreon said.
Christina Rodriguez, 23, was backing out of the driveway around 1:15 p.m. ET when the toddler suddenly ran behind the car, police said.
The car hit the girl, pinning her underneath, according to investigators. Neighbors alerted Rodriguez, who then stopped the car.
The child was airlifted to Cooper Hospital trauma center after neighbors helped lift the car. She is currently being treated for moderate injuries.
Police continue to investigate the accident.
According to the nonprofit child safety group, KidandCars.org, each week in the U.S., at least fifty children are victims of vehicle backovers. Most of those victims are between one and two years old.
"Gotta have your head on a swivel when you have kids in the yard," Lt. Gray said. "You have kids around in these neighborhoods. Watch out when you're backing up or when you're driving. The kids can pop up anywhere."
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Gray applauded the efforts of neighbors.
"We have amazing residents in Egg Harbor Township," he said.
In an effort to prevent backover accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require rearview cameras in all new cars by May of 2018. The rule includes buses and trucks. Motorcycles and trailers are exempt.
The rearview camera requirement is part of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act. The measure was named after a 2-year-old Long Island boy died when his pediatrician father backed over him in their driveway in 2002.
