Lives shattered in driveway backover accidents

An underestimated problem
Recording reliable statistics of accidents often depends on whether they occurred on a public roadway — where they are counted by a government agency — or private property like a driveway, where they are not.

So no one really knows for sure if the trend is up or down.

And while NHTSA cites groups like Kids and Cars for raising awareness of backover fatalities, it concedes that any statistics collected “very likely underestimate the true extent of the backover crash problem.”

What’s clear is that from 1991 through 2004, federal figures show an average of 76 backover fatalities annually on public roads, almost three-fourths of them involving passenger cars, pickups and SUVs. The report said most of the dead were children under 5.

Fennell’s database shows backovers claimed 104 lives in 2005 and again in 2006.

$100 to save a life
Devices like audible warning sensors or rear cameras are standard in some luxury brands and only about 100 vehicle models. Warning sensors can add $100 to a vehicle’s price, a camera system about $300 — still cheaper than aftermarket cameras and sensors, which range from $150 to over $1,000.

“Our government, and rightfully so, has put a lot of focus on belts and air bags, and if you do all those right things and are unfortunate to get in a crash, you might be able to walk away,” Fennell says. “But they’ve totally ignored the fact that at 1 mph, the interaction of a child and vehicle is lethal.”

Greg and Leslie Gulbransen sought therapy before deciding to confront the tragedy in their own way.

“I didn’t blame Greg. I feel sad for him that he has to live with this the rest of his life,” Leslie, a private school teacher, said in an e-mail. “Believe me, this isn’t easy for him or any of us, but it is a part of our lives and we have to deal with it.”

Greg still drives a BMW like the one he drove the night Cameron was killed, but his new model is equipped with a rear camera. The Clemenses replaced their Infiniti SUV and also equipped their new vehicle with a rear camera.

“When I got the camera installed, I cried and cried,” Rachel says. “My gosh, the technology was there. It’s not like we’re asking the auto industry to invent it.”

Supporters of Kids and Cars are prodding the government, in Cameron’s name, to require automakers to expand the field of view for drivers and create a database to track backover accidents. If the Cameron Gulbransen Child Auto Safety Act is approved by Congress, the Department of Transportation would draw up rules and carmakers would have up to four years to comply.

“Safety really is our priority,” said Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry trade group that represents nine top automakers. But any safety device is of little value without parental supervision, he said.

A new direction
The Gulbransens have a new addition to their family, a delightful little girl named Julia, who’s now 3.

“I sometimes look at her and cry and smile at the same time, realizing how lucky I am to have her and how sad I am to have lost Cameron,” Leslie says.

But the tragedy refocused their appreciation for the wonderful life they have. Scott is a happy, well-adjusted 10-year-old, and Greg has a renewed purpose. He’s been to Capitol Hill at least five times in recent years to push for passage of Cameron’s bill, most recently in February.

“I love where I am in life. I just hate how I got here,” he says. “This was hell.”

Rachel and David Clemens are still crawling out of their private hell. They’re in therapy with their son, Andrew, now 9.

Rachel was troubled by her fading memories of Adrianna that first year.

“(Then) slowly, with time, you start remembering,” she says. “Now, one little memory, it’s so hard to digest. Even if it’s a great memory, it’s so painful.”

For Andrew, Adrianna’s death just three weeks after their grandmother’s passing raised all kinds of concerns. “He’s thinking: My gosh, am I next?” his mother says.

As she speaks, Andrew strolls in, cuddles up next to her and plants a kiss on her cheek. Then he leaves to join his dad for an egg salad lunch.

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