NHTSA Complaint #10556221 — 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA

I WAS DROPPING MY KIDS OF TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNING. I STOP BY AT MY FRIEND'S APT TO PICK HER UP WITH HER BABY. THIS IS MY DAILY ROUTINE. SO ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT, I DID THE SAME THING, PARKED MY VAN, GOT OUT, AND WENT TO THE APARTMENT' S EXIT DOOR FROM WHERE MY FRIEND WAS COMING. MY CHILDREN WERE SEATED IN THE CAR AND I WAS PICKING UP THE BABY FROM MY FRIEND WHEN BOTH OF US HEARD MY ELDEST SON AGED 10, SCREAMING THAT "THE CAR IS MOVING MAMA", AND IN PANIC HE OPENED HIS DOOR AND TRIED TO GET OFF HIS SEAT BELT AND WAS TRYING TO JUMP. I SAW THE VAN ROLLING BACK , I PUT THE BABY ON THE GRASS AND RUSHED TO HELP MY KIDS IN THE MOVING VAN THAT WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWNHILL. FIRST I PUSHED MY SON IN AS HIS LEG WAS CAUGHT IN THE SEAT BELT AND HE COULDN'T JUMP FORWARDS AND THEN I MOVED AROUND THE BACK OF THE VAN, HIT MY KNEE ON THE BUMPER AND MY FRIEND CAME FROM THE FRONT , SHE OPENED THE DOOR AND I WAS ABLE TO PUT THE HANDBRAKES ON. BUT IN DOING SO AFTER BUMPING HARD ON MY RIGHT KNEE FROM THE MOVING CAR, AND WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, I SAT ON THE GROUND AND HIT MY KNEE AGAIN. THE CAR STOPPED AND I TRIED TO CALM MYSELF BECAUSE THERE WERE 4 KIDS INSIDE WHEN THE VAN WAS ROLLING AWAY AND 3 OF THEM WERE SMALL, SO THEY WERE CRYING. MY FRIEND CALMED ME AND WE SET OFF. MY KNEE WAS HEAVILY BRUISED AND ACHING. I CAME HOME AND TOOK PAINKILLERS AND COULDN'T GET ANY XRAYS DONE BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE ANY MEDICAL INSURANCE. TO THIS DAY ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK, I USE PAINKILLERS FOR MY KNEE WHICH WAS PERFECT BEFORE. MY KIDS WERE SAFE AND NOTHING MAJOR HAPPENED WHICH COULD HAVE, BUT WE ALL WENT THROUGH A VERY PANICKY AND TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE WHICH I HOPE NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. IF THE VAN WOULDN'T HAVE STOPPED IN TIME, MY CHILDREN COULD HAVE BEEN BADLY INJURED. *TR