2-year-old girl dies after being hit by car in Fukuoka parking lot

Another day, another terrible accident involving a young child being hit by a car. And while sufficient details are not provided, one has to believe that the driver of the car involved probably did nothing particularly wrong.

I am not going to sit here and pour blame on the mother. She will have to live with this the rest of her life. Her son will likely have witnessed this and this may well stay with him the rest of his life. If she is married, her husband will most certainly have to come to grips with it.

The article says that the mother told police she took her eyes off her daughter for just a few seconds. That means that the mother did not have physical control of her daughter. It doesn't say why this was the case or what the mother was doing.

Without casting blame, what I do know is this. Young children, particularly toddlers, and roads, parking lots and cars are a horrible combination. There is absolutely no margin for error or room for mistakes. As this incident reminds us. And reminds me, as I look forward to taking my 2 year old son out for an evening walk before his bedtime.

RIP, Yuna-chan.

And here is another one! No doubt it's a double fault here. I cannot count the amount of times I have seen toddlers running through supermarket car parks. I also cannot count the amount of times I've seen drivers racing in and out of supermarket car parks. This same accident scenario repeats itself too regularly in Japan. Here's a suggestion for parents: Hold your kids' hand when going through supermarket car parks or put them in the shopping trolley.

Very sad all around for the parents/brother and the driver of the car. If as she says she didn't notice the kid in the parking lot I hope that she doesn't get the "book" thrown at her. It seems we see people do horrible things on purpose on JT and they wind up getting light sentences, yet someone who really didn't know that something had happened or it was out of their control get harsh sentences.

RIP little girl.

Interesting to see how the courts will rule on this one, which percentage is responsible of driver having to pay for negligent irresponsible parent.

Thumbs down me all you want, but once again, a child is dead because her complacent parent put more importance on something not important like moving the shopping cart, putting groceries in the back seat, waving to a friend, or whatever, it doesn't really matter. You have a child in a busy parking lot, and you don't think something might happen and you should hold her hand?

And once again we have posters condemning without knowing the actual details of what happened.

Pathetic.

Strangerland, I doubt there will be a follow-up article with more details. Unfortunately, all we can do is conjecture and lay blame as we see it.

Yes once again another tragedy and no... I'm not blaming the parent... While it's true parents should be paying better attention... That's because too many drivers don't pay attention at all... They run thru the store ... Get impatient at check out ... Then run out the door... Jump in their car and go.... And too often too many people sit in their cars and when their husband or wife jumps back in.... The car is already in drive starting to roll... At this point ... It's too late... The kid is dead.... It's the same with the drivers turning left out of parking lots... Too often too many never look left ... Only right then again... It's too late.... They've already ran over the pedestrian they didn't see because they didn't look left as well... Don't even get me started on dump truck , cement truck, taxi, or too many men drivers driving dangerously.... There is a huge difference between bad drivers and dangerous drivers... Until the mentality of nothing bad happened this time changes and the established traffic laws are enforced.... Nothing will change... To many people will continue to get killed.... And these ARE NOT accidents... IF ones actions are illegal... The result is not an accident.... It's time to enforce the law and put people in jail.... Unfortunately , a monetary value is placed on people's lives and more times than not... The punishment doesn't fit the crime.... As in not severe enough....

Steven Mcarthy- "If ones actions are illegal... The result is not an accident..." So can you explain exactly how the woman pulling out of the parking space was doing something illegal?

And besides, laws and rules aren't invisible barriers that protect people. When it comes to people vs. cars, people should always be the ones being more aware than the other. Create all the laws you want, enforce them to the fullest extent after the incident happens, but they won't stop something like this from happening. This was a sad, tragic accident. On all sides. There is no blame here. Simply state your condolences about it and nothing more.

Unfortunately, all we can do is conjecture and lay blame as we see it.

No, that's not all you can do. You can express sympathy, and leave it at that. There is no necessity to lay blame. That's for the police to hypothesize based on facts, and the courts to determine.

And once again we have posters condemning without knowing the actual details of what happened.

Pathetic.

Since you are so into "logic", Strangerland, this will help. Its logical that the mother was negligent in watching her infant daughter in a busy parking lot. Its logical that the woman who hit the kid was not watching where she was going.

Anyone who has lived here long enough has seen kids running free in parking lots while parents look on seemingly unconcerned. Meanwhile shoulder checks while reversing are almost non-existent.

There are not enough details to point the finger.

What I do know is that they are not called the "terrible twos" for nothing. My son runs away if left alone. So when I go to my car at a shop's parking lot, I either carry him or push him in the cart to my car first. If a car hits my son, it would be hitting me too and I am hard to miss.

Hey fellow humans, what are those five digit appendages for at the end of our arms?

Get a GRIP!

Japan, and Asia in general, 'Leave it to fate', err... NO. Control fate --as much as possible-- by BEING aware that stuff happens. Kids, carparks? Don't mix.

Since you are so into "logic", Strangerland, this will help. Its logical that the mother was negligent in watching her infant daughter in a busy parking lot.

Not necessarily. There are any number of things that could have happened to distract her attention in the time it took for this to happen, that wouldn't be negligence.

Its logical that the woman who hit the kid was not watching where she was going.

Not necessarily. She could have been backing out slowly and not been able to see the child, as small children are tiny and won't be seen in rear view mirrors.

Anyone who has lived here long enough has seen kids running free in parking lots while parents look on seemingly unconcerned.

So? That doesn't mean that that was the case this time. Unless you witnessed the accident, you don't know what happened.

common sense, Strangerland. Common sense.

1, Given the responsibility of a childs safety in a parking lot, you don't let them out of your grip.

2, In a busy parking lot, you don't back out fast enough to kill a child as the driver obviously did.

Past experience in Japan shows me both these things happen every day.

Its all in the story and in my past experience. You simply have to take the responsibility as an adult to use common sense and not be petrified in making a judgement call.

1, Given the responsibility of a childs safety in a parking lot, you don't let them out of your grip.

She had two kids. How do you know one didn't slip out of her grip? After all 'common sense' says she probably was also carrying purchases. Who knows what else she had.

2, In a busy parking lot, you don't back out fast enough to kill a child as the driver obviously did.

Kids can be fragile things. She may have been backing out extremely slow, and the kid didn't see the car coming. Car bumps into kid, kid falls on head and dies.

Past experience in Japan shows me both these things happen every day.

Good for you. Did you see this accident? Because if you didn't, your past experiences are irrelevant to this case.

Sorry, but your 'common sense' doesn't work here, there are too many unknown variables.

If you feel otherwise, would you consider this article enough for judges to be able to pass judgement on this case, on either/both the mother and the driver?

You simply have to take the responsibility as an adult to use common sense and not be petrified in making a judgement call.

Why? What good does making a judgement call without all the facts do?

If as an adult / parent you don't yet know that free roaming kids/ toddlers and carparks don't mix, then that's pathetic. Get a grip, of the REALITY of danger in carparks and your Children! QED. Children before shopping, common sense before lapses, kid's safety before Line or Twitter.

kid's safety before Line or Twitter.

Does it say somewhere that she was using Line and/or Twitter?

Such a typical Japan story. You do NOT let a 2-year old wander around in a parking lot! The mother should have known that.

I wonder when we will read the first story of a baby dying of heat stroke in a pachinko parlour parking lot... another Japan summer news staple.

Oh the poor mom, the poor mom. Don't lay blame, just have sympathy for the poor mom. What about the suffering and death of the innocent child whose life was cut short because the poor mom thought something else was more important?

Oh the poor mom, the poor mom. Don't lay blame, just have sympathy for the poor mom. What about the suffering and death of the innocent child whose life was cut short because the poor mom thought something else was more important?

What about the life of the driver? Her life has been changed forever too and it's quite likely it was due to negligence of the mother.

@jonnydesu.... No where did I blame the driver...: I did however point out a constant problem with too many rogue, careless, or otherwise dangerous drivers and too many driver's habits... However, if someone does run over someone due to their willful violation of established law.... Or simply not paying attention which is also well established law.... They should live with the guilt of it... Instead ... It's usually about how much money does one have to pay that they truly care about.... The mindset of "nothing bad happened this time" or "it won't happen to me" has to change... And the police need to enforce well established rules of the roads... That is clearly what I said.

Oh the poor mom, the poor mom. Don't lay blame, just have sympathy for the poor mom.

So you don't have sympathy for a woman whose two-year old child was just killed? Cold.

What about the suffering and death of the innocent child whose life was cut short because the poor mom thought something else was more important?

What law of nature says we can't have sympathy for both?

What about the life of the driver?

She deserves sympathy as well.

I have sympathy with a woman with a car. It's unavoidable. The accident disrupted both of woman.

@ strangerland - There you go again, putting words in my mouth and then attacking me for it. Of course I have sympathy for a mother who lost her child. My comment was meant as a sarcastic jab at posters who think it's more important to protect the mother's feelings/reputation.

The woman said she felt a bump but did not know she had hit someone.

I wonder if she was stop after hear the bump. And how much speed when she pulled up. I happened saw in some other place a car pull out from parking spot and hit a child, but she was alright because the car also stop after bump her. I started to agree with the @Steven McCarthy, since quite rally accident happens in parking lot, but in japan, could kill children and older people.

@jonnydesu

When it comes to people vs. cars, people should always be the ones being more aware than the other. if you speak for parking lot, the car also should be the one more careful. because it's not just for car, it's for people walking too.

Why? What good does making a judgement call without all the facts do?

Strangerland - You have all the facts. Both women admitted negligence. Yet you want to continue on like Sam Spade looking for a smoking gun that isn't there.

Again, don't be afraid to take responsibility as an adult and make a decision

As simple as holding their hand, or letting them into the car first....

And this is how it happens. Take your eyes off of them for JUST a second. That's all it takes. The driver is not at fault at all, but no doubt since she was driving the car she'll face the full extent of the law, which is overbearing in such cases. It's hard to blame the mom here, but you have to even to a slight extent. Again, you can't keep your eyes on a child at ALL times and be a separate, human being at the same time, but there ARE times when you have to hold their hands at all times, like in parking lots or crossing streets. RIP to the little one.