As sad as it is to say, children are injured all the time in car accidents.  But what happens when you leave your child unattended in your car, and he or she accidentally sets the car in motion without you in it?

Say you run into a convenience store and leave your child unattended in your car with the key in the ignition.  Since your car is an automatic, it may be shifted out of park even if your car’s engine is off — even without your foot on the break!  If your child should accidentally bump into the shifter, your car could begin idling towards a busy intersection.

It all happens so quickly, and in the blink of an eye, your child is either injured or killed in a rollaway car accident.

Our personal injury lawyers handle many cases of children’s injuries from car accidents, but the worst children’s personal injury claims are the ones that could have been prevented.  Make no mistake about it, most rollaway car accidents are preventable.

The words most and all are not synonymous at all, so the possibility of these accidents exists.  When they do happen, you may have questions as to how to get your child’s injuries treated.  Medical bills can be very expensive depending on the severity of the injuries, and our personal injury lawyers have created a resource page that can help you get your medical bills paid.

Children’s injuries from rollaway car accidents vary.  Sometimes children jump from the car after it is in motion, an action that can lead your child getting run over by your car or another vehicle in a pedestrian accident.  Many times children are not buckled up in their seat belts when the automobile begins to rollaway; this leads to more serious personal injuries (spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and wrongful death).

Here are some tips to help you avoid children’s injuries in automobile rollaway accidents.

  • Teach your child not to play in or around cars.
  • Supervise your child carefully when they are in or around an automobile.
  • You should always keep your automobile locked when you are not around it (this will also prevent needless car thefts).
  • You should never leave your keys in your car when you are not in there.
  • Use your emergency break every time you park your car.

Additionally, you should find out if your car has a Brake Transmission Safety Interlock (BTSI) — safety technology intended to prevent children from accidentally putting an automobile into gear.  All automatic transmission vehicles with a park position manufactured after September 1, 2010 are required to have a BTSI installed.  Check your owner’s manual to see if your car has a BTSI installed.

As personal injury attorneys, we hope that your child is never injured.  That does not mean, however, that you should not take every precaution necessary to ensure that your child is safe.  By watching your child in and around automobiles, you can be sure that you are doing your best to keep your child from being run over by your car in a needless rolloway auto accident.

Stay tuned for Avoiding Children’s Injuries Part 5 — Seat Belt Entanglement.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced personal injury attorney to learn how we may help you.  We look forward to providing good advice to help you make smart decisions about your case in either English or Spanish.