Reprieves in tragic cases of children being run over

Two drivers who weren’t aware of children playing around their vehicles and subsequently running over them have both received a year's jail sentence, each with a year reprieve, after being charged with involuntary manslaughter.

The first tragedy occurred on April 28 at a construction market in Jiading District, when a delivery man surnamed Zhou had just received a package from a customer. After driving a few meters and making a right turn, he felt he had run over something.

He immediately stopped and got out of his vehicle. He was shocked to find a little girl lying motionless in a pool of blood under the wheel. The 4-year-old was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital, Jiading prosecutors said.

Zhou said he had looked into his rear-view mirror but hadn’t seen anyone. The girl’s father said his daughter was playing alone and he had been watching out for her.

The other fatality occurred on May 24 at a local residential complex when a 58-year-old resident surnamed Wei drove out of his parking space, at which point he felt the car “shaking.”

He stopped, got out the car, and found a boy on the ground a meter behind his car. The boy, aged 5, died en route to hospital.

“When I got into my car, I didn’t see any child around. I didn’t know where and when he appeared,” Wei said.

Jiading prosecutors said playing by vehicles is one of the most common causes of toddlers being killed and warned parents to take proper care of their children, especially during the summer vacation.