Toddler run over in driveway still critical

A Hawke's Bay toddler run over by a courier van is still in a critical condition in Starship Children's Hospital. Photo / NZ Herald

A Hawke's Bay toddler run over by a courier van in her grandmother's driveway is still in a critical condition in hospital.

The 17-month-old was playing in her grandmother's driveway in Flaxmere when she was run over by a courier van delivering a package about 10.30am yesterday.

The toddler was taken to Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital for her injuries and was transferred to Starship in Auckland last night.

The girl survived the night and is in a stable condition in paediatric intensive care today.

It was the second driveway accident involving small children in two weeks.

On August 22, Kingston Mauheni died after being run over by his mother's car in their Gisborne driveway.

The mother was understood to have pushed her car forward onto the toddler after trying to remove a toy motorbike wedged under the car's rear tyre.

The 21-month-old suffered critical injuries and died while in hospital the night of the accident.

SafeKids New Zealand statistics show five children die every year in driveway-related accidents, and are often between 1 and 3 years of age.