A toddler was killed in a driveway backover in Antioch. (Photo: Contra Costa Times)
Police are calling the death of an Antioch toddler a tragic accident, after the child darted behind his father’s pickup truck and was run over in front of their house on Monday.
• A toddler darted out of the house and behind his father’s pickup truck as it was backing out in front of the house.
• The father did not see his little son and ran over the boy.
• The little boy died at Children’s Hospital.
The fatal backover accident occurred at 1:21 p.m., according to a report in the Contra Costa Times.
Antioch police Captain Leonard Orman said Malcolm Norris, who would have turned 2 years old in about a week, ran behind his father’s pickup truck as it was backing up at their home on Pembroke Court.
The home is on a cul-de-sac with parking spaces in the center. The pickup truck was backing up from one of the spaces when Malcolm darted out of the house and ran behind the truck.
His father did not see him, police said. The truck ran over the little boy, who suffered grave injuries and was rushed to Children’s Hospital in Oakland. He died at the hospital.
Police are calling the tragedy an accident.
“We are investigating, obviously, but everything points to this being a tragic accident,” Orman said.
The family is devastated and in shock, the boy’s uncle, Michael Alexander, told the Times. They had just moved into the home a few months ago.
“They’re doing the best they can. It’s all just so fresh to them. They’re still in shock about the whole situation,” Alexander said. Malcolm was his brother’s first son, Alexander said.
Antioch police Chief Allan Cantando, visited the family on Tuesday to offer his condolences.
“My heart just goes out to them as a parent of a young one myself,” Cantando said. “All parents can learn from this tragedy.”
Cantando stressed the importance of knowing where young children are at all times, especially during hectic holidays.
The tragedy is the latest in which a young child has been accidentally run over, the Times reported:
A 3-year-old Vallejo girl was airlifted Saturday to Children’s Hospital after she was hit by her mother’s car.
A 4-year-old Martinez boy has made what one of his doctors called a “miraculous recovery” after his skull was fractured by his mother’s sport-utility vehicle in June.
In January, a 1-year-old Oakland girl was struck and killed by a truck driven by the girl’s uncle that was backing into a driveway.
And in March 2010, a 4-year-old Hayward boy died after he was struck by a sports-utility vehicle in an apartment complex parking lot.
Congress has ordered the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop requirements for backup detection devices and warning sounds in new vehicles, but it remains crucial to walk around your car to make sure children are safely out of the way before backing up.
Antioch Accident Lawyers
The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented pedestrian accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.
