Child Pedestrian Injury Accidents

Child Pedestrian Injury Accidents, Lawsuits and Lawyers

Each day, parents across the country send their children and teenagers off to school or allow them to visit a friend’s hose to play, many times without thinking for a moment that their child’s health and life might be in danger. Children who walk to school or elsewhere often pass through areas and neighborhoods with which they are familiar and feel safe. Tragedy can strike suddenly, however: the safety and security a child feels while walking to school or to a friend’s hose can be destroyed when they are struck by a careless or negligent driver. Parents of injured children can be devastated and figuratively paralyzed by the fear and uncertainty that such an event can cause.

Child Pedestrian Accidents Happen Suddenly

Unfortunately, the only warning a child may have before he or she is injured is a strange or unfamiliar sound – a revving engine, squealing tires, or a shouting driver, for instance. This means that a child who is not actively watching traffic and scanning his or her surroundings for potential threats will oftentimes have little or no time to move out of the way prior to being struck. While careless or reckless drivers who injure children may be held responsible for the damage and injuries they cause, it would be far better for everyone if the collision could be avoided in the first place. To help accomplish this, parents should teach their children to:

• Walk with a friend or a sibling (or a known and trusted adult, if the child is very young);
• Use sidewalks and designated walkways whenever possible. If no sidewalk or walkway is available, children should walk on the left-hand side of the road so that they can see approaching motorists and have a better chance at avoiding a collision;
• Be aware of their surroundings at all times and not to text while walking, talk on their cellphones, or listen to music using earphones;
• Give you an estimated time of arrival and ask them to call or text you once they reach their destination safely;
• Tell you what path they intend to take just in case you need to retrace their steps;
• Cross the street only at designated crosswalks and/or corners, and to look both ways before doing so.

What To Do After a Child Pedestrian Accident

Even adults can become excitable and not think clearly after being hit by a car, so it should come as no surprise that children may feel scared and confused as to what they should do. Parents can help prevent fear and panic from setting in by teaching their children to take the following steps after being hit by a car:

• Call 911 immediately if they believe they have been injured or if they see blood. It is better to be evaluated at the scene and receive a clean bill of health than to allow a serious injury to go untreated. Children should be prepared to give the dispatcher their name, the location of the accident, and a brief description of their injuries;
• Call you or a designated adult and inform that adult what has happened;
• Move themselves out of the way of other traffic and/or to the side of the road if they are able to do so safely and without causing pain. A child should verbally resist being moved if they believe their head, neck, and/or spine was injured as being moved without proper stabilization can exacerbate these injuries;
• Make mental note of the car that hit them and the driver of that car. Children should attempt to take note of as many details as possible and either relay them to you and/or a law enforcement officer or write them down as quickly as possible. While remembering a name and/or a license plate can be difficult, children may be able to remember:
  • The color of the car;
  • What direction the car was coming from (i.e., did the car strike the child from the front, rear, or side);
  • The make (Dodge, Chevrolet, etc.) and model of the car;
  • The state of the license plate of the car;
  • The physical description of the driver: was it a male or a female, for example. What color was his or her hair? What type of clothing was he or she wearing? Did she appear old or young? Did he have facial hair? What was the driver’s race?

These details can be crucial to recovering compensation in the event the at-fault driver hits the child and then speeds away (commonly referred to as a “hit-and-run” collision).

When to Call Your Child Pedestrian Accident Attorney

Call Stern Law, PLLC at (844) 808-7529 as soon as possible if your child has been hit in a pedestrian crash. Attorney Ken Stern will immediately go to work investigating your case and making the legal maneuvers necessary to preserve your family’s right to recover compensation so that you can devote your attention to helping your child heal.