Reversing SUV runs over and kills 15-month-old toddler in Vietnam
A 15-month-old girl died after she was run over by a reversing car in Dong Nai, Vietnam.
The tragic accident happened on the morning of May 19 in the Chon Thanh ward of Dong Nai, a city bordering Ho Chi Minh City.
According to Vietnamese news outlet Dan Tri, the 15-month-old female victim was identified as HMK.
Security camera footage of the tragedy shows a man in a white shirt approaching an SUV parked beside what appears to be a shophouse.
The girl then toddles into the parking lot, walking along the right side of the vehicle. Meanwhile, the man, who is seen standing on the left side of the car, transfers an item onto an empty food cart next to the vehicle, completely unaware of the toddler’s presence.
As the car begins to reverse, the 15-month-old walks into the path of the vehicle, first getting knocked down onto her hands and knees as the vehicle’s bumper hits her head. The man continues to reverse, only stopping momentarily as the rear right wheel goes over the toddler. The front right wheel then crushes the toddler.
The toddler is subsequently seen lying face down on the ground, motionless.
As the car drives away, a man in a black shirt runs over, shouts at the driver, and sprints out of frame. Moments later, the driver runs across the frame of the security footage in the same direction, with his slippers flying off his feet.
The driver returns a few seconds later, gingerly touching the girl as a woman runs towards the toddler, screaming. The woman flips the toddler over and, upon seeing her bloodied face, lets out a horrified cry.
With the girl in her arms, the woman frantically runs in and out of the frame.
Towards the end of the video, the woman frantically exits the compounds, accompanied by the driver and another male individual. Sounds of a woman wailing and shouting can be heard as the footage ends.
According to Dan Tri, the toddler was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead. Investigations by Dong Nai City Police are ongoing.
It is unclear how the driver, as well as the other individuals in the CCTV footage, were related to the victim.
Toddler possibly stood in SUV’s blindspot
Netizens mourned the toddler’s tragic death, expressing condolences to her parents and loved ones.
“I feel so sorry for the little girl,” one Threads user said. “I can’t imagine how broken the parents must be. A child tragically dying like this is something the parents will never forget.”
In the accident’s aftermath, netizens questioned why the car’s reverse sensing system was unable to detect the toddler in time. According to local news reports, the girl was roughly the same height as the car’s wheels, and thus could have evaded detection by the rear sensors.
Some Redditors also argued that the toddler could not be seen in the rearview mirror as she was too short and was blocked from view by the car’s trunk.
Others questioned why the driver continued reversing despite his SUV visibly jerking upwards when the rear wheel ran over the toddler, with one Threads user commenting: “I’m so annoyed. Why don’t you get out of the car and check if there’s anything?”
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