Christen with her 2-year-old daughter, Iris. Iris was injured when a car hit her. (Kristy West)
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A 2-year-old girl is in the hospital after a tragic accident. Her family is speaking out to hopefully prevent that from happening to someone else.
The toddler is named Iris. She and her family live in Douglasville. They were in Cobb County on Thursday when things went horribly wrong.
Cobb County mom backs over daughter
What they're saying:
Her mom, Christen Wilson, started backing out of the driveway without realizing her daughter was out of the car.
"I don't know, but I thought I felt a bump and, anyway, Roger, my stepfather, saw my baby girl outside, and he said Christen Iris is on the ground," Wilson said. "I couldn't even speak. I just ran and I seen her and I picked her up and I started CPR and my mind was racing, and I was in shock. I was in total shock. And I'm still in shock."
Medics took Iris to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, where she is now in a medically induced coma.
"I've just been by her side and I haven't left, and I'm not going to. She's my baby," Wilson said.
Accidents only take a second
What they're saying:
Now, Wilson and Iris' father, Shane Stinnett, want to keep this from happening to another family.
"It seemed more like a miscommunication. Somebody thought that the other one had them, you know. Just make sure you know," Stinnett said.
"It took a brief second literally," Christen said. "It just didn't register, it didn't click. I don't know what happened but all I seen was my little girl on the ground, and it takes a second, so please y'all, just don't make the same mistake."
Family asks for help
What you can do:
The family has started a GoFundMe to pay for medical treatment. The family said Christen is the sole provider and is now spending most of her time by Iris' side.
Preventing backovers
What you can do:
According to Kids and Car Safety, 50 children in the U.S. are backed over every week because a driver can't see them. In more than 70% of incidents, the driver is a parent or a close relative.
The organization encourages parents to look around and underneath cars before moving a vehicle, turn the radio off and roll windows down to hear what's going on around you, and teach children not to play near cars to avoid backovers.
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5's Kim Leoffler speaking with the family of Iris.