Backover Accidents

A backover accident is generally defined as an accident as the result of a driver backing his vehicle into a pedestrian or bicyclist. For the most part, these accidents happen when the operator of a motor vehicle is attempting to pull out of a parking space or is exiting a driveway. Often, backover accidents occur at low speeds. Pickup trucks and SUV’s tend to be involved in these accidents more frequently due to the fact that they are higher off of the ground and have more substantial blind spots where the operator cannot see someone (frequently small children) behind their vehicles. Research has found that, because they are higher off the ground and tend to have larger blind areas, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles are more likely to be involved in backover accidents than are cars.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, backover accidents account for approximately 300 deaths on an annual basis, and approximately 18,000 injuries nationwide. Because many backover accidents do not occur on roads or driveways, but rather parking lots and driveways, it is not as easy for governmental agencies to track these cases statistically. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that approximately two thirds of the accidents which cause injury occur in parking lots or driveways, and approximately 40% of deaths occur in these same locations.

The two age groups most affected by backover accidents are small children, and the elderly. Small children are often not visualized by the driver (even if the drivers are looking in their rear view mirrors or viewing a rear camera) when going in reverse. The elderly often don’t see the vehicle coming at them, or are not agile enough to get out of the path of the car in time. Those two age groups represent the largest percentages of victims of backover accidents. Of the approximately 300 deaths annually in backover collisions, 35% are infants under the age of five. More than 25% of fatalities were individuals aged 70 or older. Almost one third of injuries in backover accident are suffered by infants less than five years old or the elderly.

At the Law Office of Mark A. Siesel with offices in White Plains, the Bronx and Peekskill, New York, we have represented the victims of all varieties of car crashes, bus and truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents since 1986. Our experienced and dedicated litigators know that in backover accidents, these are often devastating and sensitive cases, due to the fact that so many of the victims of these tragic accidents are small children. We have the requisite background and experience to successfully prosecute backover accident cases from their inception through the conclusion of the matter, by settlement, alternative dispute resolution (mediation or arbitration) or verdict. When the victim of the backover accident is a child, this frequently involves additional proceedings with the Court known as an “infant compromise”, which requires an additional level of preparation so that the presiding Judge will approve the settlement if the case is resolved prior to trial. Our litigators have resolved a wide variety of these cases for well over 25 years.

If you or a loved one suffers injuries in a backover accident, or any motor vehicle accident, contact our office online for a free consultation to discuss your case in detail.