Such a sad, tragic accident.

Little Shamira Zaman Rest in Peace.

And please let's be clear THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT.

In a city of over 8 million residents accidents will happen.

And to all the SUV haters just stop it.

This was a Toyota RAV4 hardly a freaking monster truck.

In fact it's smaller than many full size cars.

A Vespa could kill a two year old if s/he runs into the street.

Again this was an ACCIDENT.

No ones fault, not the child, not the guardians, not the driver, not the SUV

Just a tragic ACCIDENT.

Sadly you are dead wrong John L Strong, if you are responsible for watching a kid and anything happens to him or her, its your fault.

Why is everyone put the blame on the driver? It's obvious the parents were just as irresponsible by not keeping an eye on this poor child. Some people may think its cruel, but my mom used to keep my brother on a "kid leash" because he was also prone to running off in public. I think we can all agree that is a lot less terrible than needlessly losing a child to such a tragedy.

It is true that this can happen no matter how careful a driver being. You can be doing 20 in a 30 mph zone, but if a kid (or any pedestrian) suddenly dashes into the street three or four feet in front of you there's nothing you can do.

And the fact is that most two-year olds are usually completely oblivious to what is going on around them. Even walking on the sidewalk there've been times when I could barely avoid walking into a kid who suddenly changes direction and veers in front of me.

Do you know how many plumbers, hvac electricians, contractors, painters, scaffolding engineers, flower shop owners, cleaners there are in the city? And guess what kind of vehicle they drive! Get rid of 4x4's? R u kidding me?

Do you know what 4X4 means? It's really doubtful anyone's going through 4' deep mud pits to deliver flowers in the five boroughs.

It sounds like you don't know what 4x4 means.

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four") is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine.

It doesn't have to be a monster truck.

It means that all four wheels are capable of moving independently of one another. Not exactly necessary for driving on pavement, unless you're competing in NASCAR. But, hey, you copied that word for word from Wikipedia, so you must be an expert. Fucking ignoramus.

"There is absolutely NO need for a 4x4 vehicle in this city."

Because people who own cars in this city never drive outside the city?

Sure many people driving 4X4's for no good reason, but plenty of people enjoy winter recreational activities outside the city. While they may not need the 4x4 in the city, they have the right to own one for when they travel elsewhere.

Hahaha! I used to live in northern Canada (near the Rocky Mountains), yet somehow I managed just fine with a little front-wheel drive car. I just *love* New Yorkers who tell me they "need" a 4X4 because they go snowboarding once a year in Vermont. Absolutely hilarious!

Also, I'm pretty sure the most action your average NYC Escalade gets is circling the block looking for attention from other losers who have nothing to do all day. Sure, the potholes in this city suck, but my little Golf manages just fine. Then again, unlike most people here, I actually know how to drive.

Very sad. Condolences to the family.

"Why God? Why me?"

Because you're driving an SUV, you stupid fuck. That's why. Because you had to be in the biggest thing on the road and probably drive like you're invincible- everyone else around you be damned.

SUVs should require a special class of license to filter out the agressive boeheads that buy these things to the detriment of the public's safety.

Agreed. The vast majority of SUV drivers operate their monster vehicles as though they think they're invincible. There is absolutely NO need for a 4X4 vehicle in this city. In fact, I would wager that most of these morons don't even know what 4X4 even means.

So sorry for the family of this poor little girl.

Most SUVs today aren't 4x4s. This was a Rav4, not something in the Escalade-type class. That means either a 4- or 6-cylinder engine, and in most cases front-wheel drive just like most passenger cars. Wheelbase is just over 100 inches -- shorter than that of a Crown Vic.

As someone who has had a few children pass the two year mark, I can tell you this had little to do with the car being an SUV. It could have been a beetle or a sherman tank, children at that age simply cannot be relied upon to stay out of the street. They need attentive, slightly paranoid, and above all, close adult supervision.

The streets are for cars. You cannot expect a reasonable driver who is obeying traffic laws to drive always as if there might be two year olds darting out into the street all the time. The thought is ridiculous.

Also, as someone with a mother in law who has watched my kids, I know Ive had dreadful thoughts about my kids not being watched closely enough when with her. Im sure every parent has. I lean more towards the overprotective side. Perhaps if the grandmother and aunt, who are so clearly in the wrong were a little more paranoid, this preventable death could have been avoided.

How absolutely tragic. This is one of the very few most awful things that can happen to a person - losing their child. What compounds the tragedy is how easily it could have been prevented; a little less jabbering, a little more watching.

You cannot expect a reasonable driver who is obeying traffic laws to drive always as if there might be two year olds darting out into the street all the time. The thought is ridiculous.

You're doing what my wife does - making a comment one cannot disagree with as a rebuttal, meanwhile it having nothing to do with my original statement.

Of course drivers should pay attention - hence the whole 'reasonable' parts, and also the 'obeying traffic laws' parts of my statement.

Just like the best driver can be the victim of someone elses carelessness on the road, so too a driver can be the victim of parental (or grandparental) inattentiveness.

Even at 20 mph a car covers just about 30 feet per second. How would anyone react to a child suddenly coming into their path at close range?

Surprise, then reaction, then braking...then wishing there had been more distance.

Speaking for peeps with Escalates rolling on 24" blings & getting 4 mpg............ F Yall!

Terrible. Keep an eye on your children at that age, they run into the street at the drop of a hat.

I'd add that most SUV's height limits visibility of children and that their stopping distances are significantly longer than passenger cars.