What Happens When Cars Hit Kids? - Stewart J. Guss, Attorney At Law

ent, the s

fety

ellbeing of you

child

en is

const

nt p

ity. You m

ke eve

y effo

t to te

ch you

child

en the lessons th

ill help them th

ough thei

lives

nd d

y-to-d

outines. Unfo

tun

tely,

ccidents c

n h

ppen

ny time—even

ftell possible p

utions e t

ken. No m

tte

ed you

nd you

child might be fo

the unexpected, it is nely impossible to p

edict

hen you

ill c

oss p

ths

ith eckless

nd negligent d

ive

You

child

en f

ce hidden d

nge

s du

ing some of thei

most t

ed childhood p

stimes: on

lk to school, on

bike

ide

ith f

iends, o

just simply pl

ying in the neighbo

hood. Even the quietest subu

n st

eets c

n become

zdous ehen

nge

ous d

ive

vels do

n youo

ive

s, in gene

l, o

duty of c

e to those

ound them

hen they e opeting

vehicle. But

hen

ive

vels

long

e child

en m

y be p

esent, they must t

ke ext p

ution

nd d

ive slo

nd cefully to help ensu

e the s

fety of

ny child they might encounte

hy

e Kids P

ticul

ly Vulne

ble to Being Hit By
C?<
h2>
In

ecent study of t

ffic
ccidents, it is estim
ted th
t 1 out of eve
y 5 child
en unde
the
ge of 15 th
t h
ve lost thei
lives in
tffic-
el
ted
ccident
e
e pedest
i
ns, not p
ssenge
s.
hen it comes to pedest
i
n
ccidents, child
en ove
the
ge of six
nd unde
the
ge of 15

e especi
lly vulneble to being st
uck by
vehicle. These
ges coincide
ith the time in
hich most child
en
ill

lk to school o
eng
ge in outside pl
y
ith f
iends. Unfo
tun
tely, younge
child
en e
lso often victims of pedest
i
n
ccidents. Kids unde
the
ge of 6 tend to be involved in pedest
i
n
ccidents ne

home—such
s
d
ivey o
neighbo
hood st
eet.

Child
en e especi
lly susceptible to
pedest
i
n
ccident due to:

i
-level="1">ong>Height. ong> Fo child, especi
lly unde
the
ge of 12, thei
height c
n be
g
e
t ch
llenge
nd obst
cle fo
tveling s
fely
long the
o
dys. The sho
te
st
tu
e of child
en m
kes it difficult fo
d
ive
s to identify them in o
ne o
d

y o
behind st
nding objects. It
lso m
kes it difficult fo

child to get
good look
t thei
suoundings
nd oncoming t

ffic.
hile the
o
d m
y
ppe cle in thei
immedi
te vicinity, thei
height c
n m
ke it h

d to see
vehicle fu
the
do
n the
o
d o
ound
co
ne
th
t
ould be visible to most
dults.<
li>

i
-level="1">ong>Cognitive function. ong>
study<
h
ef=”https://
.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pmc/

ticles/PMC3467946/” t

get=”_bl
nk"
el=”nofollo
noopene
“> th
t ev
lu
ted the
isk f
cto
s fo
kids in pedest
i
n collisions<> noted th
t the
ct of c
ossing
st
eet
equi
es v

ious cognitive
bilities
nd c
n be quite complex. The
e
lity is th
t most young child
en l
ck these skills,
nd even olde
child
en c
n h
ve difficulty executing the steps
equi
ed to successfully
nd s
fely eng
ge in this ch
llenging t
sk, time
nd time
g
in. The study identified sevel skills th
t c
n cont
ibute to
child’s
isk of involvement in
pedest
i
n
ccident. The skills include the
bility to focus,
e
ction times,
nd ev
lu
tion of
isk.<
li>

i
-level="1">ong>Del
yed
e
ction times.<
st
ong> Child
en
nd
dolescents do not h
ve the s
me
bility to
e
ct
nd
ct like
n
dult. Development
lly, the younge

child, the slo
e
thei

e
ction times c
n be. Even if
child sees
moto
ist d
iving e
tic
lly o
speeding, they m
y not h
ve the c
p
city to
e
ct
nd
espond to the d
nge

he
d
cco
dingly. They must not only identify the potenti
l d
ngehe
d, but
lso effectively decide
h
t
ction they must t
ke.<
li>

i
-level="1">ong>L
ck of eness.<
st
ong> Focus
nd
ttention e vit
l fo

n individu
l to n
vig
te the
o
ds
nd side

lks s
fely. Child
en

e kno
n fo
thei
sho
t
ttention sp
ns
nd
educed c
p
bility to focus fo

p
olonged pe
iod. C
ossing
st
eet
equi
es
pe
son to p
y
ttention
nd

tch out fo
tffic, lights,
o
d signs, obst
cles in the
o
d, etc. Just
moment of lost focus c
n me
n the diffe
ence bet
een
n
ccident
nd
non-event.<
li>

i
-level="1">ong>
educed pe
ception of
isk.<
st
ong> Not only must child
en identify the su

ounding
isks, they must decide the s
fest
oute o
p
th to t
ke. Often, younge
child
en

e
ccomp
nied by
n
dult o
olde
child th
t
ill help them m
ke these decisions, but even olde
child
en h
ve
difficult time
ecognizing
d
nge
ous situ
tion o
the
isks p
esent in
p

ticul

e
.<
li>

Ho
Do Most Pedest
i
n
ccidents
ith Child
en Occu
?<
h2>
The v
st m
jo
ity of
ccidents in
hich
child is st
uck e due to the negligence of
d
ive
. Even
hen
n e

o
o
sm
ll l
pse of judgment m
y h
ve occu

ed on the p

t of the child, most d
ive
s
ill be held
esponsible fo
the inju
ies
nd
ccidents they h
ve c
used. This is bec
use d
ive
s must exe
cise g
e
te
ce
hen d
iving
vehicle ne

child
en ohen child
en

e potenti
lly in the e
. Most pedest
i
n
ccidents
ith child
en could h
ve been
voided if the d
ive
h
d not
cted negligently. Common c
uses of child pedest
i
n
ccidents include:

-level=”1″><
h
ef=”https://c

inju
yvictims.com
dist

cted-d
iving-negligence-
nd-the-inju
ies-th
t-
esult
“>Dist

cted d
iving<><
li>

i
-level="1"><
h
ef="https:
/c

inju
yvictims.com
speeding-c

s-c
n-c
use-c
t
st
ophic-
ccidents/”>Speeding ><
li>

i
-level="1"><
h
ef="https:
/c

inju
yvictims.comh
t-to-do-if-you
e-inju
ed-by-
-d
unk-d
ive
/”>D
iving unde
the influence ><
li>

i
-level="1"><
h
ef="https:
/c

inju
yvictims.comh
t-is-
eckless-d
iving/”>
eckless d
iving ><
li>

i
-level="1">D
nge
ous m
neuve
s<
li>

i
-level="1">Viol
tion of t

ffic l

s

he
e Do Most Child Pedest
i
n
ccidents H
ppen?

Most people

ould

ssume th

t pedest

ccidents

ith child

en occu

in high-

isk

nd busy inte

sections. The t

uth is th

t the m

ity of child pedest

ccidents occu

in the pl

ces

e child

en e likely to feel s

fest: thei

schools, d

ive

ys,

nd neighbo

hoods. Even

ith s

fegu

ds such

s speed bumps, posted speed limits,

nd othe

fety me

es,

eckless d

ive

s e still isk.

nyone

ho exceeds the speed limit, d

ives dist

cted, o

ils to yield to c

ossing guds

nd posted signs poses

nge

to the child

ithin

community.

mples of the loc

tions

child is susceptible to being st

uck by

vehicle include:

-level=”1″>Du
ing the lk to o
f
om school<
li>
i
-level="1">Tvel to
nd f
om thei
bus stop
i
-level="1">The d
ive

y of
home<
li>
i
-level="1">Neighbo
hood st
eets<
li>
i
-level="1">Close to pl
yg
ounds o
p

ks
i
-level="1">In pking lots<
li>

Ho
Often e Kids the Victims of Pedest
i
n
ccidents?

In the<

ef=”https://

.nejm.o

g/doi/full/10.1056/nejms

1804754" tget="_bl

nk”

el="nofollo

noopene

"> U.S., moto

vehicle-

ted

ccidents e the le

ding c

uses of de

th >

mong child

en younge

n 15. In

given ye

, ove

5,000 child

ill lose thei

lives in

tffic-

ted

ccident.

hile this numbe

includes

ccidents

ted to moto

vehicles, up to 25% of the child

dolescent de

ths

ted to

collision

ith

vehicle

pedest

n ohile bicycling. In

ddition to the f

lities in child pedest

ccidents, thous

nds mo

e e

ch ye

suffe

inju

ies

nd lifelong imp

cts f

om being st

uck by

h
t e Some of the Most Common Inju
ies
hen
Child is Hit by
Vehicle?<
h2>
n individu
l st
uck by
vehicle c
n suffe nge of dev
st
ting inju
ies
hich necessit
te extensive
ecove
y time.
hen the victim of
pedest
i
n
ccident is
child, the inju
ies c
n be ex
ce
b
ted
nd h
ve
signific
nt imp
ct on the child’s cu

ent

y of life
s
ell
s thei
futu
e. Child
en
nd
dolescents

e in
const
nt st
te of g
o
th
nd development. Inju
ies du
ing these vit
l life st
ges c
n h
ve f

–
e
ching consequences on the
est of thei
lives. T
e
tment of these inju
ies
equi
es speci
lized c

e
nd considetion fo
the futu
e g
o
th of the child
nd
ny speci
l needs o
complic
tions th
t could ise in thei
futu
e. M
ny<
h
ef=”https://
.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pmc/

ticles/PMC3217548/” t

get=”_bl
nk"
el=”nofollo
noopene
“> f
cto
s c
n cont
ibute to the imp
ct on
child > in
collision
ith
vehicle. These f
cto
s often c
n h
ve g
e
t
eight on the seve
ity of the inju
ies suffe
ed in
pedest
i
n
ccident. The speed of the vehicle, the ove

ll size
nd height of the vehicle, the
ngle
t
hich
child is hit,
nd the time
nd p
oximity in
hich
child
eceives eme
gency medic
l ce
ill
ll influence the su
viv
bility
nd extent of the inju
ies sust
ined.
nothe
impo
t
nt f
cto
th
t c
n put
child
t
isk of g
e
te
inju
y is
lso thei
height. The height of
n individu
l c
n me
n the diffe
ence bet
een being p
im

ily st
uck in the legs, to
so, o
he
d. The loc
tion of imp
ct on the body c
n m
ke
ll the diffe
ence bet
een life
nd de
th in these often tgic
ccidents.

Some common inju
ies of child
en involved in pedest
i
n
ccidents include:

-level=”1″>B

in, he
d,
nd neck inju
ies<
li>

i
-level="1">Spin
l inju
ies<
li>

i
-level="1">Fctu
es
nd b
oken bones

i
-level="1">Inju
ies to tendons, lig
ments,
nd muscles

The Lifelong Imp
cts of Pedest
i
n
ccident Inju
ies on Child
en

ccident in

hich

child su

vives being st

uck by

vehicle

ill h

ve obvious immedi

te implic

tions such

s missed school, extensive medic

l t

tment

nd c

nd s

ifices by the f

mily fo

medic

l expenses

ell

s ce

nd comp

nionship of the child th

t is inju

ed. Ho

eve

, the

ccident

ill

lso h

ve consequences on

child’s life th

t m

y not be immedi

tely

ent. F

om development

l del

ys to soci

l imp

cts

nd le

ning dis

bilities o

physic

l dis

bilities, it is not possible to unde

nd the deg

ee of influence these inju

ies

ill h

ve on

child’s life in the d

eeks

ften

ccident.

ho Is Potenti
lly Li
ble
hen
Child is Hit by
C

?

In m

ny c

ses, the li

bility of

pedest

ccident

ill f

ll on the d

ive

of the vehicle involved. The

e is

t bu

den of c

e pl

ced on

hen the victim of

pedest

ccident is

child. The cou

ill look

t sevel elements to dete

mine

hethe

the

ctions of the d

ive

constituted negligence

nd ultim

tely c

used the

ccident

esulting in the de

th o

inju

ies of the child victim. To est

blish negligence in

child pedest

ccident, you must sho

-level=”1″>The d
ive
o
ed the child
duty of c

e.
i
-level="1">The duty of ce s b
e
ched due to the
ctions o
in
ction of the d
ive
.
i
-level="1">The
ctions of the d
iveesulted in the
ccident.
i
-level="1">The child suffe
ed inju
ies di
ectly
el
ted to the
ccident c
used by the d
ive
.

h
t D
m
ges C
n You Seek in
Child Pedest
i
n
ccident C
se?

child is inju

ed in

pedest

ccident, you m

y be entitled to

ecove

compens

tion on thei

beh

lf fo

the losses suffe

ed.

lthough

mino

y not suffe

the s

me fin

nci

l imp

cts

nd consequences

dult, thei

ent(s) m

y be entitled to seek compens

tion fo

the imp

ct the

ccident h

s on thei

lives. Due to the unique n

e of

ent o

gudi

nd child

tionship, it is expected th

pent

ill ultim

tely endu

e much of the fin

nci

l bu

den

s they seek medic

l ce fo

thei

child. D

ges in

pedest

ccident involving

child

ill

llo

you to seek

ecove

y fo

in losses

inst the p

ties

esponsible fo

you

inju

ies.

ges in

child

en’s pedest

ccident c

n include:

i
-level="1">Medic
l expenses fo
t
e
tment, thepy,
nd
eh
bilit
tion<
li>
i
-level="1">P
in
nd suffe
ing fo
the inju
ies sust
ined by the child
s
ell
s
ny emotion
l imp
cts of the
ccident
i
-level="1">Imp
ct on the child’s
bility to en
n income
s
n
dult<
li>
i
-level="1">Loss of enjoyment o
qu
lity of life due to inju
ies
i
-level="1">Lost ges of pents due to the need to ce fon inju
ed child
i
-level="1">Futu
e medic
l expenses fo
ongoing inju
ies o
dis
bilities<
li>

h
t
ction Should You T
ke if You
Child Is in
Pedest
i
n
ccident?<
h2>
You
fi
st
nd only p
io
ity
fte
you
<
h
ef=”https://c

inju
yvictims.com
c
n-child-hit-c
“>child h
s been st
uck by
vehicle<> is the
ellbeing of you
child. Once you
child is st
ble
nd unde
medic
l t
e
tment fo
thei
inju
ies, you should t
ke immedi
te
ction. Cont
ct
pedest
i
n
ccident
tto
ney to p
otect thei

ights
nd inte
ests
nd get help stting
n
ccident inju
y cl
im.
hen it comes to inju
ies of child
en the
e c
n be m
ny unexpected consequences
nd imp
cts th
t you m
y be une of. It is in you
best inte
est to get leg
l help to p
otect you
child no

nd in the futu
e.
<
h
ef=”https://c

inju
yvictims.com
se
vices
houston-pedest
i
n-
ccident-
tto
ney
“>pedest
i
n
ccident
tto
ney<> c
n discuss you
leg
l options
nd estim
te the
ecove
y th
t you m
y pu
sue. Don’t miss out on the compens
tion you
nd you
family need!

hee Do Most Child Pedest in ccidents Hppen?

Ho Often e Kids the Victims of Pedesti n ccidents?

The Lifelong Imp cts of Pedesti n ccident Inju ies on Childen

ho Is Potentilly Li ble hen Child is Hit by C ?

ht D mges C n You Seek in Child Pedest in ccident Cse?

Testimonials

Read More

he
e Do Most Child Pedest
i
n
ccidents H
ppen?

Ho
Often e Kids the Victims of Pedest
i
n
ccidents?

The Lifelong Imp
cts of Pedest
i
n
ccident Inju
ies on Child
en

ho Is Potenti
lly Li
ble
hen
Child is Hit by
C

?

h
t D
m
ges C
n You Seek in
Child Pedest
i
n
ccident C
se?