Max's Story

On April 26, 2002 our son, Max, went outside to "Give Daddy one more kiss goodbye."

It was 7a.m. and I was making my was downstairs to start our day when our 5 year old, Hannah, came running into our room, screaming, "Daddy hit Max with his car!"

I then asked Hannah a question I will always regret ,"Is he dead?"

Our poor daughter did not know if her little brother was all right or not, but Hannah answered, “Yes!"

Hannah had witnessed the unimaginable while looking out our toy room window.

I ran down to the first floor, hearing my husband screaming my name. He was holding Max, bloodied about the face, arms out reached for me, and making; wailing noises like I had never heard before.

"Max is alive," I thought to myself.

The details as to what happened next are too lengthy to go into...Fire engines, police, ambulance...Cat-scans,x-rays,hospital stay.

Max broke his leg in two places and also broke his little collarbone. For some reason, we were spared.

My husband said, when he was backing the car out of the garage, he felt a "resistance" under his tire. When he pulled the car forward, he saw Max, sitting on the driveway in obvious shock.

In the days that followed April 26th, there was a news show that focused in on the dangers of the driveway. Although we did not see the piece, many family and friends called to tell us about the program.

Now that we are "on line," I have been able to do a bit a research on how to prevent such a horrible occurrence to happen to another family.

The sensors and video cameras that can detect movement behind an automobile make perfect; sense!; They should be as common as airbags that are installed in the majority of the cars on the road today. Such life saving devices should not be considered a luxury but rather a standard in every car.

The statistics; of children getting rolled over by vehicles, IN THEIR OWN DRIVEWAYS, are unbelievable! The automakers must take notice and take a roll in preventing these senseless tragedies.

The "what ifs" have flowed in and out of my mind since Max's accident. What if I had made it down the stairs two minutes earlier? What if Max had slept a little later that day? What if I explained the dangers of automobiles to our children?

As a family, we try to focus on today and respect each other's post-traumatic reactions to Max's accident.

Our daughter does not like talking about that day, she says, because, "Then I can't stop thinking about it!"

Max has recovered very nicely. He often asks me, when a fire engine goes by, if they are going to help a kid who got "squished" by a car."

My husband sees that Max is okay and that, in turn, helps him deal with the events of that day.

I felt the need to share Max's story so I could try to make a difference...Perhaps, "The Powers That Be" in the auto industry can also begin to make a difference.... Start installing sensor detectors and/or rear video cameras in automobiles. Certainly, the prices of the vehicles will increase, but give us, the consumer the option to install these devices!!

Thank you,
Katharine MacLeod