Toddler Killed by Truck in San Jose

Shannon Weidemann

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A 2-year-old boy was killed by a truck backing up in a parking lot last month. The car accident happened in San Jose. The boy's stepfather did not realize the child was behind his vehicle. It is believed the victim left his apartment through an open door.

Nationally, there were at least 101 "backover" children deaths in 2007, according to data Kids And Cars compiles from coroners, individuals and the media. But organization founder and president Janette Fennell said the real number is undoubtedly much larger than that. Each week, according to her organization, cars back up over 50 children in the United States, killing at least two.

"This absolutely fits the mold," Fennell said by phone from Kansas in reference to today's San Jose death. "The father thinks the child is inside, the little one doesn't want to be left behind. And pick-ups have some of the worst blind zones."

The little boy was killed instantly in the accident. On the same day President Bush signed into law a bill that mandates better visibility in vehicles to prevent this kind of accident.