Georgia Pedestrian Accident Attorney Shane Smith Cites Tips to Keep Pedestrian Children Safe
According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, pedestrian children are most often struck and injured or killed when they are walking near their homes on neighborhood streets. While children may be at a lower risk of becoming injured when they are passengers in a car, sometimes they don’t have a choice but to walk. Children may walk home from school, from a friend or family member’s house, or to a local store to pick up a treat. Regardless of why children walk, whenever they do, they are put at risk of being injured or killed by a negligent driver.
Based on recent statistics, pedestrian children suffer injuries and deaths at a disproportional rate. 3 out of 10 of all pedestrian accidents involving children are minors under 15 years of age. More than 1 in 5 of all pedestrian deaths (22%) from auto accidents were children aged 5 to 9 years of age. Nearly 20% of all minors involved in auto accident deaths were minors as pedestrians who were less than 16 years old.
If your child has been hit and injured or killed in an auto accident call Shane Smith Law at (770) 487-8999 to speak with a Georgia pedestrian accident attorney who will evaluate your child’s circumstances. In order to determine if you have a personal injury claim or a wrongful death claim, it is necessary to speak with a Gwinnett County accident attorney who will inform you of your legal rights.
Why Children need to be Protected:
- Children can be impulsive – especially when they don’t always look both ways before crossing a road.
- Children do not have complete judgment skills – children may automatically assume that when they see a driver, the driver can see them.
- Children think cars can stop instantly and they are not fully capable of judging a car’s speed and the distance between them and the car.
What Parents can do to Protect Pedestrian Children:
- Teach children to look both ways before crossing an intersection, no matter what the traffic light, stop sign or other traffic systems say.
- Observe, train, and correct your children when you walk with them on the sidewalk or anywhere near the road, parking lots, or anywhere else there are cars moving.
- Hold your child’s hand and instruct them how to walk properly on a sidewalk, in a crosswalk and when there is no sidewalk.
Parents can never be too safe when it comes to teaching and reinforcing safety principles for their children. However, even with more than adequate training, supervision, and trust in your child and drivers, accidents do happen. When a child is struck as a pedestrian due to the negligence of a driver, your world as a parent is turned upside down. After you make sure your child is alright by making sure they get medical treatment, seeking justice through a personal injury or wrongful death claim can also bring closure for your child and your family.
If your child has been injured or killed as a pedestrian, call Shane Smith Law at (980) 246-2656 today to speak with a Georgia pedestrian accident attorney. You will be able to get a free legal consultation with a Gwinnett County wrongful death attorney and have your circumstances evaluated to let you know what your legal rights are.