By Iain Gracie
The infant son of former Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon is recovering in hospital, after being run over by his father.
The 15-month-old, Samuel Cannon has internal injuries and two broken legs after being run over with the family’s four-wheel drive at their home in Sherwood, Brisbane.
Cannon said he was concentrating on trying to negotiate his driveway and hadn’t noticed Samuel.
“We’ve got a very narrow driveway and you need to be focussing on clearing the gate,” he said.
Cannon said his youngest had been watching his brother Joseph, 5, and sister Phoebe, 3, get into the family truck and begun walking toward them.
“I was reversing out, concentrating on the right side of the gate to get out and I’ve accidentally run over the little guy.”
Cannon’s father-in-law, Bill Purcell says Cannon is devastated.
The accident is eerily similar to the case of another former Wallaby hooker, Phil Kearns – who ran over his 19-month-old daughter in his own driveway in 2005.
She recovered after spending a month in hospital, but the accident prompted Kearns to launch a driveway safety campaign.
Some newer model SUVs and station wagons are fitted with reversing cameras, but these are the exception, rather than the rule.
Doctors at Brisbane’s Royal Children’s Hospital said last night it was a miracle Samuel wasn’t killed.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
3 News