Although expected to survive the accident, a boy who was running in a neighborhood in the Tampa area suffered broken bones and had to be taken to the hospital after getting hit by a car traveling through the area.
According to authorities, the boy darted in front of a car for unknown reasons, although the accident did happen around the time school would customarily start. The driver of the car, who remained at the scene, indicated that she could not avoid the boy by swerving or stopping her vehicle. Other witnesses confirmed the account that the driver provided.
In this situation, it is fairly clear that the young boy may bear some responsibility for his injuries. However, the child was only 8 years old and, at that age, would be prone to either not knowing how to be safe around cars or not paying as much attention as he or she really should to the surroundings.
This is why, particularly when they know children are going to be present, it is imperative for drivers to slow down and be extra mindful of pedestrians when they are traveling along a neighborhood street. Even if it appears that bystanders are going to stay out of traffic, one never knows when a child is going to dart out in to the road without warning.
No one, including this child’s family, should assume that the driver has no liability in this case. Moreover, in Florida, other benefits, such as personal injury protection benefits, may be available to help this child, even if one were to find the child totally at fault for this auto-pedestrian accident.
The family of this child will no doubt have medical bills and other costs associated with this accident, and they should consider evaluating their legal options with the help of an experienced pedestrian accident attorney in the Tampa area.
Source: WFLA 8, “8-year-old boy struck by car after running across Tampa street,” Feb. 20, 2018.
