Collisions between vehicles and pedestrians are, unfortunately, common and can have devastating results. Just in the last several months, three people were injured when they were hit by an impaired driver in Seattle. Two of the victims were adults, and one was a child.
Many factors influence how serious a victim’s injuries will be when they are struck by a car, but it is always tragic when a young child is involved in a crash. While pedestrians generally have a duty to act reasonably when they are on and near Washington roads, child pedestrians may not have the capacity to recognize possible sources of harm and know how to avoid them. The impulsive nature of children may predispose them to dangerous behaviors that may increase their likelihood of being hit by a car.
For this reason, it is often expected of drivers to exercise a heightened sense of awareness when they operate in areas where children may play, attend school, and undertake extracurricular activities. The crossing zones by schools, roads around local parks, and roads and parking areas near community centers are all locations where drivers should expect to see kids and should, therefore, practice heightened duties of care to those pedestrians that they come across.
Young children follow their impulses, and those impulses may cause them to run after balls into traffic, jump off sidewalks, and do other potentially dangerous things. When they are struck by cars, they should be taken to see medical professionals immediately, so their health may be assessed, and their injuries may be treated. Along with their parents, they may choose to seek legal support as they cope with their auto-pedestrian accident damages.