Tot killed in latest driveway tragedy

Photo / Steven McNicholl

A 22-month-old girl was killed and a young woman seriously hurt in driveway accidents on opposite sides of Auckland yesterday.

Talitauaiseaso Itamua died after she was hit by a reversing car at her family home in Weymouth, Manukau City, about 2pm.

"Both Talitauaiseaso's mum and dad believed she was inside the house at the time of the incident," Constable Steve Shaskey said.

Mr Shaskey said the car only reversed about a metre.

About 30 minutes later, a young woman was seriously injured when her father reversed into her at their home in West Harbour, Waitakere City.

Sergeant Stu Kearns of the Waitemata serious crash unit said the man was reversing into the garage of the Luckens Rd property when he hit the accelerator.

The car lurched towards his daughter, who was standing inside the garage, and pinned her between the vehicle and a steel cabinet.

Mr Kearns said the woman - believed to be in her late teens or early 20s - was taken to Auckland City Hospital with suspected internal injuries.

The Weymouth accident led one safety campaigner to renew calls for parents to watch their children around vehicles.

SafeKids director Anne Weaver said the tragic death was yet another example of the need for vigilance when reversing out of a driveway.

"Children and cars don't mix. It's very important to know where kids are before getting into a car," she said.

Ms Weaver acknowledged that monitoring youngsters who were just learning to walk was not easy.

"Children of that age are just so quick; they disappear and can't be seen behind a car. If we could just take that extra minute to check where children are - that's all it would take."

Yesterday's tragedy was the latest in a string of accidents in which children have been killed or hurt playing in driveways.

In April, a 17-month-old Hamilton girl was partially crushed by a vehicle, but survived.

Two days later, also in Hamilton, an 8-year old boy suffered serious injuries while using a driveway to play hide-and-seek.

In March, a 2-year-old died in Wairoa and a 4-week-old girl was killed in Titirangi.

In January, a 3-year-old toddler died in Blenheim.

Six children were killed in driveway accidents last year.