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Mother backing car out of garage hits and kills 2-year-old son

35 Comments

A two-year-old boy died after being hit by a car as his mother was backing it out of the garage at the family’s home in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture, on Sunday.

According to police, the accident occurred at 10 a.m. Fuji TV reported that the 37-year-old woman was backing out of the garage to take her son to the park to play when she hit the boy, Kazuma Uehara. He was taken to hospital with a severe head injury and died about 90 minutes later.

Police said the mother told them she was unaware that her son was behind the vehicle and that she thought he was waiting outside the garage at the side to get into the car.

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35 Comments
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What a tragedy, but I'm always baffled by why any parent would put there car in motion while their child is outside. Is it not possible to buckle in your child before you get behind the wheel?

16 ( +16 / -0 )

Two is way too young to expect them to stand still and follow directions no matter how smart or mature they seem for their age.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

This has to be a parent's worst nightmare.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

This is really sad news.

Although it is negligence, there's no punishment worse than the guilt and sorrow this mother must feel now.

Seriously though, this happens too many times in japan

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Why even move the car if the kids not in it? More complacent parenting decisions costing innocent lives.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

she thought he was waiting outside the garage

She 'thought' he was waiting outside the garage? It is (was) your flipping kid! Be sure!!! Another needless death of an infant at the hands of a careless parent! Just this morning I saw a two year old kid run straight out the convenience store and was narrowly missed by a car while his mother and father were debating which point card to use. It was only the driver's caution that saved the kid's life. I find it hard to believe how careless so many Japanese parents are with toddlers. RIP little fella. :-(

5 ( +9 / -4 )

A two year old does not understand danger, dos not have the cognitive abilities to understand. This is not the first time a toddler has been killed due to an adult not having these basic concepts on hand in their mind. Much more than anywhere I know, Japan suffers from: “It won’t happen to me”.

It will. It does.

RIP little fella, you should be enjoying the summer.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Her excuse tells you all you want to know.

If that’s the way she thinks it was just a matter of time.

Japanese women seem to have absolutely no common sense when it comes to cars, hikes, kids and road safety.

They don’t think.

(I’ve lived here for over 20 years and probably see something idiotic on roads everyday)

surprised more aren’t killed.

And unlike most countries , old people are bad too.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

LOL Really!?

Really

How many of the 1.2 million annual traffic fatalities involving cars were caused by pedestrians?

A couple. Three, maybe. So?

I will take my chances and continue to walk, bike, and ride the train,

Be safe, whatever you choose.

secure in the knowledge that my 70kg self will never run over and crush a driver to death.

Causing an accident happens to differ in essence from running over and crushing to death.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Negligence. Plain and simple. Just put the child in the car and restrain them safely before even starting the vehicle. This basic lack of common sense is staggering. Unforgivable

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Wasn’t there a similar occurrence recently where the mother was responsible for a child’s death? Very sad for the parents but they’ll rue the recklessness forever.

one of my life goals is to get through life without being responsible for anyone’s death, I’ve slept very well at night since giving up driving after coming here and discount how unnecessary (and irresponsible) car ownership usually is.

Pedestrians have been known to cause accidents resulting in deaths of drivers as well. Just to be sure to make your goal, stay home

3 ( +6 / -3 )

And of course the court of JT demands pitchforks and torches without knowing the complete story. There are so many holes in the reporting there is no way to make judgment. But don't facts stand inthe way right.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

But some parking spots do not have enough room to open the doors and maybe that is why she needed to back the car out first.

If she could fit into the car, I am quite sure a two year old could too! That is negligience

1 ( +1 / -0 )

And as per usual the usual suspects come barging in with generalizations about Japanese society and whatnot, ready to crucify her knowing nothing at all about the incident.

It was a horrible accident, and one that actually has happened in many other countries including my own (last month a mother in Los Angeles accidentally ran over her 2-year old in the driveway).

My thoughts are with her, and shame on those who cast stones. Have some of you no decency in a time of tragedy?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Causing an accident happens to differ in essence from running over and crushing to death.

No kidding and that’s the point. The car, it’s mass and speed, are always the actual cause of death. Remove it from the equation and road death becomes a rare freakish evemt rather than a regular occurrence.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It was a horrible accident, and one that actually has happened in many other countries including my own (last month a mother in Los Angeles accidentally ran over her 2-year old in the driveway).

Yes, the same thing happened about 6 months ago in my native country.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Oldman

the generalization fits.

ive driven for years in this country, and I can tell you pedestrians and bike riders have no thought for cars.

Secondly I daily see mothers with kids on bikes going around blind corners on the right, riding on the right etc.

Thirdly, I’ve raised kids here and constantly had to lecture a stupid wife about not letting kids walk behind cars, walk unattended in car parks.

and her mother was worse.

The generalization stands. Japanese have to think more about Ross safety.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@Ex_res - There is a part of me that agrees with you. Such a very sad story. The amount of judgment being laid out by the "perfect" commenters here is sometimes remarkable.

This is so sad.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

As with any accident of this kind (and as oldman_13 points out, although rare, it does happen more frequently than you think) the armchair commentators ask "But why did'nt you do this, why did'nt you do that". Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing. It is so easy to be wise after the event.

That poor mother will probably spend the rest of her life "hitting the re-wind button" in her mind. I hope that she does not read JT.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My grandmother accidently killed her dog that way. It wasn't until after she was gone that me and the other grandkids got the story on that. By that time I was 20 years old.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Put the child IN the car in a child seat where he belongs, BEFORE moving the car. Not too hard to figure out!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

gaijinpapa

I couldn't agree with you more. Common sense doesn't seem to exist with women on bikes or in cars. Who in their right minds think its safe to ride a bike with one kid on the front, another kid on the back, and yet another kid strapped to the mother's chest or back, all while toting an umbrella? I see it all the freakin' time. Really? One wrong move and the entire family is wiped out. And don't even get me started about obeying BASIC traffic laws, because most of them seem to think that none of them apply to them. I don't know how many times these people have endangered my life, my child's life, and the lives of other people on the road, because they'd ignored a traffic light, or riding on the wrong side of the road against traffic, or swerved right in front of me...etc...ugh!! It's maddening!!!!

2 seconds, is all it takes to make sure that NOTHING is behind the car when backing out. Better yet, as I said above, either put the kid in the car first, or leave him in the house until you've moved the car in a better position to get him in.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

lot of know it alls here

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

"...and that she thought he was waiting outside the garage at the side to get into the car"

I said this a couple of weeks ago or so when the last woman backed out and hit the little girl and killed her; it doesn't matter if your driveway/parking space is narrow. It doesn't matter if you have to squeeze in to enter the vehicle. It doesn't matter if it's inconvenient -- you do NOT wait on narrow streets or T-intersections or what have you while a car backs out so you can get in as though they're chauffeurs or valets pulling out to pick you up (when an older couple, with one even getting in the back seat instead of passenger side), and ESPECIALLY not when it is with a child! You do not move the car out of park until you know the child is either safe and sound in the car, or else in the house nowhere around the street or driveway. How many times do we have to read about this EXACT thing happening before these morons get a clue?

The woman should be given jail time, despite it being an accident. Maybe she'll realize how stupid it was and what the cost.

oldman: "And as per usual the usual suspects come barging in with generalizations about Japanese society and whatnot, ready to crucify her knowing nothing at all about the incident."

We know plenty -- same as when we read about the same thing happening time and again. It's a 'generalization' for a reason, and doesn't make it less fact. Why take our word for it, though?

https://japantoday.com/category/national/1-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-car-driven-by-mother

Here was my comment that day: "I have to say I am sick and tired of seeing cars pull out of driveways or tight spaces with others waiting to get in once the car is on the road because it's more convenient." And here we are again.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Sad to read so many intolerant comments to such a tragic accident.

Obviously these commenters are not parents.

I feel very sorry for the childs mother.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Yes, the same thing happened about 6 months ago in my native country.

In my country an average of 50 kids per week are ran over by a vehicle similar to what happened in this unfortunate case, and in 70% of those cases, the vehicle was driven by a close relative or parent.

Again, it's unfortunate to see the usual suspects insult this poor mother and blame it on Japanese society, when these types of things happen more frequently in other nations. Shame on those who do, and I pray these people never experience the heartache of losing a child like this poor mother.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I know exactly what you mean gaijinpapa -

It's scary how many times I see kids out of their seats in moving cars -

There was a case a while back when two kids were killed because they had their heads out the sunroof as their mum went under a low bridge...

It isn't hard to make them buckle up - sure, they'll complain about it at first, but if you make it rule then it'll be the first thing they do when they get in the car.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Pedestrians have been known to cause accidents resulting in deaths of drivers as well. Just to be sure to make your goal, stay home.

LOL Really!?

How many of the 1.2 million annual traffic fatalities involving cars were caused by pedestrians?

I will take my chances and continue to walk, bike, and ride the train, secure in the knowledge that my 70kg self will never run over and crush a driver to death.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

As others have noted, something like this happened just a few weeks ago.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/1-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-car-driven-by-mother#.Wuol8d5lDdg.twitter

I remember reading a few other tragic stories like this in recent years as well.

As parents, we should keep kids away from, and out of, motor vehicles whenever possible. I’d go further and say we should also make sure they have a healthy terror of the things. 

.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Since one of my life goals is to get through life without being responsible for anyone’s death, I’ve slept very well at night since giving up driving after coming here and discount how unnecessary (and irresponsible) car ownership usually is.

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

Whaaaat, another one? Is this because Japan is so cramped and crowded?

-10 ( +0 / -10 )

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