A 9-month-old girl who was struck by a van that rolled backward in her family's driveway is reportedly making a good recovery, a Howard County fire department spokesman said last night.

The child, whose name was not released, suffered injuries to her torso in the 7 p.m. accident Monday in the 6400 block of Saddle Drive in Columbia. The child was in critical condition after being airlifted to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Her condition was upgraded yesterday to serious but stable.

"We're told that she is progressing very well . . . she is in very stable condition," said Sgt. Robert Wiseman of the county Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

Police said the girl was standing outside her home with her mother and 2-year-old sibling when the elder child got into the family's parked Dodge Caravan and moved the gear level into neutral. The engine was not running, but the van drifted backward and a rear wheel struck the child, police said.