Man Drove Over His 22-Month-Old Twice While Texting, Killing The Toddler

A 24-year-old father in Georgia was charged Tuesday after police said he was texting as he accidentally drove over his 22-month old son twice in his driveway. Trenton Cook is facing second-degree homicide by vehicle charges and failing to exercise due care.

A Columbus police officer testified during Cook's preliminary hearing that the accused waited until his girlfriend's children went inside before he pulled into his driveway. Cook felt a bump and then another one while reversing, police said. When he got out of his car, he discovered that he had run over the toddler, Zakai A. Cook.

Police said cell phone data showed that Cook was texting while pulling into the driveway. A minute later he called 911 saying he had run over his son.

Authorities said there was no evidence Cook hurt his son intentionally. The death of the toddler was ruled an accident. Cook was arrested and his bail was set by a judge at $2,500 on the homicide charge and $300 for failing to show due care while driving.

Use of mobile phones while driving is not advised as it causes a distraction and people tend to either hit someone or damage their vehicle. It is also very necessary to see if anyone is around while riding in the driveway.

In another similar incident that took place in Canada early last month, a two-year-old girl was killed after the toddler's father was exiting the driveway and accidentally hit the child. What happened exactly remained unclear, but police said the girl was somehow struck by the back of the vehicle. Police arrived at the scene and attempted to perform life-saving measures including CPR but the child was declared dead when she was taken to the hospital.

Another incident took place in July where a Michigan toddler was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle. According to reports, the 20-month-old girl was run over by her neighbor's vehicle. The girl's mother wasn't looking as the child walked away and was hit by a vehicle that was backing out of the driveway.