Death caused by truck backing out of driveway

By |2022-01-05T17:57:09+00:00December 28th, 2018|

One might not think of it is often since it rarely grabs headlines, but accidents involving backing one’s car up are fairly common. Many people have probably experienced, for instance, the misfortune of bumping in to another vehicle while trying to back out of a parking space or another area where there is not a lot of room between cars.

It is sad, but sometimes errors made while driving in reverse can have severe or even fatal consequences. For instance, in Orange County on the day after Christmas, a two-year-old boy died after a pickup truck backed out of a driveway and hit him. The toddler was near his house in a cul de sac when the accident happened. While the toddler was taken to a nearby hospital, he died a short time after his arrival.

According to a sheriff’s deputy, the driver of the pickup stayed at the scene of the accident and spoke with authorities. Officers said that they were not sure if drugs or alcohol played a role in this tragic accident.

Whatever the cause, this tragedy serves as a painful reminder about how dangerous even a car traveling in reverse, and likely at slower speeds, can be. It is imperative that motorists check carefully before backing up and do so slowly and carefully. For those with newer cars, they must not rely excessively on their car’s technology to ensure that they back up safely.

In this case, the family of the child may have legal options with respect to this accident, as they will no doubt have financial costs to deal with above and beyond their emotional loss. One option would be to pursue a wrongful death claim against the driver responsible for this auto accident.

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Doug Easton has practiced law since 1971. After 20 years of practicing with various large litigation firms, he founded the Law Offices of W. Douglas Easton in 1991 as a solo practitioner. In the years that followed, Doug’s sons Brian and Matt joined him in the practice and helped build the firm into a powerful force to help right the wrongs done to their clients. Much of their success over the years has stemmed from the dynamic created by the familial nature of the firm and how harmoniously they all work together, each of their individual strengths complementing and fortifying the group as a whole. Accordingly, the firm changed its name to Easton & Easton, LLP in 2014 to better reflect the true dynamic of the firm and Doug now serves as Managing Partner of Easton & Easton. In 2015, Doug was selected as a Top 100 Litigation Lawyer in California by The American Society of Legal Advocates. In addition, Doug is listed in Strathmore’s Who’s Who, and in 2008 was named its “Professional of the Year” in Medical Malpractice.
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