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Original poster

My worst nightmare nearly happened this morning 😞

460 replies

purrswhileheeats · 27/07/2021 17:51

I was reversing out of my driveway and almost ran over my neighbour's child, he was directly behind my car. He's no more than three years old and the only reason I saw him was he was waving his arms in the air and I saw them in my rear view mirror. He's so tiny I wouldn't have seen him otherwise as he was below the level of the back window IFYSWIM. My neighbour was loading stuff into his boot so I beeped the horn and shouted to him, he ran over, grabbed the boy and took him inside.

I was shaking and crying (sorry, that's so MN) when I got to work. They're a new family on the estate, only moved in a few months ago. The dad must've known the boy was playing outside while he was loading the car but didn't bother to check where he was.

I'm waiting for them to come home so I can go and speak to them. It's so horrible, I feel sick thinking about what could have happened.

OP posts:
TheAwfuITruth · 27/07/2021 19:13

@purrswhileheeats

I don't know actually, I just wanted to tell him to be more careful. I wasn't banging on the door shouting at his grandmother lol.

It was a horrible experience and not one I want to repeat.

Honestly, if you could tell he was as shocked as you, I think I would leave it. Many, if not most, parents have at least one of those 'take your eye off the ball moments' where things could go so,so wrong. And most of us get away with it, and vow not to let that happen again. Going round there could make relations worse.

Just comfort yourself with the knowledge that you were on the ball, and took avoidance action, and no one at all got hurt Flowers

HaveringWavering · 27/07/2021 19:13

Bloody hell OP, the responses on this thread! Have some Flowers from me and I hope you are feeling less shaken now. There are too many people on this forum who will take any opportunity to kick someone when they are down and crossbones perfect they are.

LublinToDublin · 27/07/2021 19:14

The Dad is 100% to blame for not keeping track of his 3 year old

No he isn't

Unsure33 · 27/07/2021 19:14

@BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand. But she was because she spotted the child .

TableFlowerss · 27/07/2021 19:14

@BFrazzled

Crap, it beggars belief.

You almost killed a child and manage to make this sound about yourself. Nursing your shaken self and about to give a proper telling to those Romanian parents. Lucky you they weren't English - guess who would be told off for reversing into the street?

Reverse into your drive each and every time from now on. You cannot = you are unfit to drive, end of story. Like literally, today, before you are preparing to knock onto Romanians door, reverse into your drive. Or call your husband or other designated adult in your household to do it for you...

You almost killed a child and manage to make this sound about yourself. Nursing your shaken self and about to give a proper telling to those Romanian parents. Lucky you they weren't English - guess who would be told off for reversing into the street

So you think it’s perfectly acceptable to not watch your 3 year old child and then blame someone else if something happens to them?!

HaveringWavering · 27/07/2021 19:14

crow about

Rollingwiththehomies · 27/07/2021 19:14

@Mulanmoo

The most important thing is that nothing actually happened. Flowers
This!

And also, chances are the parents are feeling just as awful as you. It may have taken seconds and I’m a bit disheartened at the way people are judging parenting skills.

PheasantsNest · 27/07/2021 19:15

@SmallPrawnEnergy a toddler was killed near me in this exact scenario so you can kill a child going slowly.

Unsure33 · 27/07/2021 19:15

I know someone who ran over and killed his wife by accident . He was not prosecuted .

LadyDanburysCane · 27/07/2021 19:15

@MotionActivatedDog

It’s extremely worrying that so many people on this thread can’t understand how or why reversing into the drive is so much safer.
I think most people do understand that. I always reverse onto my drive at home and into most parking spaces (unless I need access to get large things into my boot). BUT I have a friend who lives on a very busy road and NO ONE stops to let her pull across the road to get the angle to reverse on whereas people WILL stop when a car reverses out…..
PheasantsNest · 27/07/2021 19:15

@purrswhileheeats It's you that needs to be more careful!

BFrazzled · 27/07/2021 19:16

@YeokensYegg

The Dad is 100% to blame for not keeping track of his 3 year old.
In your dreams.

In reality driver is 100 percent responsible.

Drive carefully and reverse into parking spot when you possibly can.

PaddleBoardingMomma · 27/07/2021 19:17

@LublinToDublin

The Dad is 100% to blame for not keeping track of his 3 year old

No he isn't

Whut?

So if he wasn't watching a child and they wandered into a main road, not his fault?

Sleepthieved · 27/07/2021 19:18

Wait - the child presumably was on a pavement, not a road, with a driveway across it? In which case, whilst not ideal, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the parents may take their eyes off the child for a second while they unload the car? It doesn't sound like they were playing in an actual road totally unsupervised.

Whilst it must have been a shock to nearly hit someone else's child - there can be absolutely nothing worse than losing your own child. This was probably a horrible shock to the parents who I imagine are wracked with guilt. I can't see a reason to tell them to make sure it doesn't happen again. Unless you're genuinely interested and want to make sure they're OK and not too shaken, I'd leave them alone.

MotionActivatedDog · 27/07/2021 19:18

Even reversing into a driveway is not 100% safe.

Nothing is 100% safe when operating a car. We’re taking about safer.

TableFlowerss · 27/07/2021 19:19

We, if the OP could get prosecuted (those that are laying the blame on her) then I bet the dad would get prosecuted for neglect at the same time!

Benjispruce5 · 27/07/2021 19:19

We have to drive in as charge point won’t reach round. It’s not OP’s fault but the parent of the child’s. I see it daily on my commute. Toddlers running by the road and it makes me so cross.

Frazzledd · 27/07/2021 19:19

@PaddleBoardingMomma

Have a search of *@BFrazzled* other posts... they are pretty awful to everyone they interact with. Either a troll or a total scum bag I'm not sure
.....I might have to name change, think I've been outfrazzled!!

This whole thread is bizarre- what did the OP do wrong? Avoid an accident? It's perfectly reasonable to go and have a chat with the neighbours!

MagicSummer · 27/07/2021 19:20

Why should OP and other people have to watch out for someone else's bloody kid? YOU keep watch on them - we have better things to do. Why should she reverse into her drive if it is inconvenient? You people are sometimes rather silly.

Namechangearoo · 27/07/2021 19:20

Two children have been killed in Norway by reversing drivers in the last two weeks. Both by members of their own family. It’s absolutely terrifying and I’d be shaken up too, OP. As others have said, reverse parking where possible is better (as you have to drive past the point you’d reverse into first, giving you a clear view of it before you start the manoeuvre. Not 100% infallible but safer). If it’s not possible though, I suppose making sure your music is off so you can hear any noises and maybe even a window rolled down would be helpful too.

sotiredofthislonelylife · 27/07/2021 19:20

@purrswhileheeats

It's difficult to reverse onto my driveway, I live on a small complex (townhouses), there's a communal garden in the middle and the driveways are at angles.

Thank you though, I was really shaken but also angry at neighbour Sad

If it’s awkward to reverse IN, it would most probably be even more awkward to reverse OUT, surely!

Anyway, I can appreciate how shocked you were, and glad you saw the child in time.

LakieLady · 27/07/2021 19:21

It's not always possible to reverse into a drive.

Our drives are narrow, and I have to reverse in because otherwise the driver's door would be right up against the fence. Passengers have to get out before I back in.

My NDN's house is the other way round, she has to go in forwards or she wouldn't be able to get out of her car.

Original poster
purrswhileheeats · 27/07/2021 19:21

Thank you @TheAwfulTruth, @HaveringWavering and others. I'm not going to speak to the parents, hopefully they've learnt from this.

They are a nice family despite being Romanian obviously joking

OP posts:
LublinToDublin · 27/07/2021 19:22

PaddleBoardingMomma
The discussion here is about a child on the pavement - not on the road.
Of course the Dad has a parental responsibility to keep his child safe, but as I've posted above , if OP had hit the child she would be deemed at fault. I I know she was taking care etc. and that would be taken into account if it went to court etc. but the final responsibility is the car driver reversing out.