CHAMPAIGN — Champaign police say the death of a child run over by her mother Friday morning in the family driveway was a tragic accident.

Deputy Chief Troy Daniels said tall bushes in front of Colleen Bezich-Miller's home in the 2500 block of Maplewood Drive would have kept her from seeing her 4-year-old daughter run out of the house and into their driveway.

Daniels said Bezich-Miller, 46, was backing her Chevrolet Suburban out of the driveway to take her 8-year-old son to school.

"Once she reached the street, she looked up and saw her daughter, Madison Bezich-Vidimos, laying in the driveway, injured from being run over by the vehicle," he said.

"She had no idea that her daughter had been struck. Only because she looked in the driveway and saw her laying there she knew she'd been injured. There are tall bushes in front of the residence and it would be very easy for a small child to come out of the residence without her being able to see her," Daniels said.

Madison was supposed to be inside the house with a 14-year-old brother and came out without her mother knowing it, he said.

Bezich-Miller called 911 and several officers and paramedics responded. Madison was taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana where she was pronounced dead.

The call was placed to police at 7:43 a.m.

Daniels said the fire department's emergency support services group was contacted to stay with the older brothers while the mother when to the hospital.

"It was an extremely emotional morning and our thoughts go out to her and her children at this time," said Daniels, who said he's also worried about the five officers and other emergency responders who answered the call.

"At this time we're considering options we have to get our officers or other emergency personnel present any assistance they may need. It was an extremely difficult morning for the officers who had to respond."

Daniels said an accident reconstruction specialist and a crime scene technician also went to the house.

"We feel confident that based on the scene and information provided to us this was nothing but a horrible accident. Clearly, any time a person is injured like this, we have to make sure it's an accident. Our main focus at this scene was making sure the mother and the children were cared for," he said.

Daniels said the case is a tragic reminder of the need for caution backing up vehicles under any circumstances but especially in situations where children are present.