A 7-year-old girl accidentally ran over her 2-year-old sister’s legs with their family car Tuesday in Salem, New Hampshire, after being allowed to start the vehicle, police said in a Facebook post.

Around 6:34 p.m., officers and firefighters responded to 75 South Policy St. for a report of an accident involving a young child.

The girls’ mother told officers at the scene she had allowed her 7-year-old to go outside and start her 2003 Ford Focus. Police said the 7-year-old was then able to put the car into reverse, causing the vehicle to move backward.

The car ran over the 2-year-old, who had gone outside with her sister, according to police. The mother, who was not outside at the time, came to assist her daughter when she heard the 7-year-old scream for help, police said. A neighbor who witnessed the incident also came to the girl’s aid.


The 2-year-old suffered injuries to her legs, chin, and scalp, and had some bruising on the right side of her rib cage and upper arm, police said. She was taken to Lawrence General Hospital before being medflighted to Boston Children’s Hospital.

Police said it appears this was not the first time the 7-year-old was given permission to start the car. Salem police, along with the state Division of Children, Youth, and Families, are continuing to investigate the incident.