The dangers that reversing vehicles – particularly large ones – can pose have been highlighted once again by a terrifying incident on K’Gari (Fraser Island)
A toddler was airlifted to hospital by an RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter after a ute reportedly reversed over her.
It is believed the rear and front tyres of the large vehicle rolled over the girl at slow speed, pushing her face-first into the sand.
The child was reportedly unresponsive immediately after the incident and her father performed CPR for about one minute.
Her parents drove her to an area on the eastern side of the island, close to where the incident happened, to wait for emergency services to arrive.
The toddler was airlifted to hospital. PIC: RACQ LifeFlight
The toddler had extensive bruising and tyre marks on her leg, back and ear.
The Bundaberg-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter aeromedical team was the first to arrive on the island.
The RACQ LifeFlight Critical Care Doctor and Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Flight Paramedic treated the toddler.
A K’Gari ranger drove the her and her mother 400 metres to the waiting rescue helicopter.
The injured child was in a serious but stable condition when she was airlifted, along with her mother, to the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Over the years, there have been a number of incidents where children have been struck by reversing vehicle at campsites and caravan parks.
For example, in 2016, an 18-month-old girl died after she was hit by a car at a caravan park in Kiama on the New South Wales south coast.
In an effort to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries caused by reversing cars, the government this year introduced legislation requiring all new vehicles to be fitted with either a rear-view camera or sensors.
The standard will be phased in over the coming years to give manufacturers the time they need to adapt their models to include the reversing technologies.
All new vehicle models have until November 1, 2025, to meet the new standard, while all new vehicles made from existing models have until November, 1, 2027.
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I have a reversing camera on my vehicle. As for the caravan I never reverse it,unless some one is to one side behind it as a guide. For added safety I purchased a solar, WiFi reversing camera for the van, no wiring quick to install, with a crystal clear picture, not expensive on Ebay and worth it.
Modern vehicles have reversing cameras & beepers which one would think would safeguard any kids or dogs running behind a vehicle but if not I’d be asking what were the parents doing while a car is reversing over their child? Isn’t it a parents responsibility to be looking out for their children/animals? I’ve seen too many kids running amuck through other people’s sites at Caravan Parks even up to 10-30pm at night with torches & head lights. It’s a wonder there aren’t more incidents like this especially in caravan parks.
One of the great joys of a caravan park is kids get to be kids and run around having fun in a safe environment, like it used to be when I was a child. A parent cannot stare at their kids 24 hours a day and children should be allowed to roam free. Slow down, check around your car before you reverse and for heaven’s sake stop victim blaming children and their parents.
It’s strange that some injuries to kids from reversing cars can lead to compulsory cameras or sensors having to be fitted to all new cars, but the huge numbers of trucks which change lanes into cars or drive over pedestrians in front of them hasn’t led to compulsory cameras or sensors on all new trucks. We just get ads on TV saying beware of trucks they have no idea what is around them.