Children Involved in Car Accidents

Sustaining injuries in a car crash is devastating no matter how old the vehicle occupant might be. Yet, when children suffer serious injuries in car accidents, those traumatic injuries can be particularly devastating. Given that kids are much smaller than adults, they can be at particular risk of injury in traffic collisions, both as vehicle occupants and pedestrians. Moreover, when kids are not properly secured in car seats designed for their size and weight, they can sustain avoidable injuries even in a seemingly minor wreck.

If your child was injured in a motor vehicle crash, it is important to learn more about filing a claim for compensation. An experienced car accident lawyer can answer your questions and begin working on your case.

Children are involved in car crashes more often than you might think, and auto collisions currently are the leading cause of death for all children under the age of 15. The following are facts and figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concerning children involved in car accidents:

• In 2016, 723 children under the age of 13 were killed in motor vehicle accidents, while more than 128,000 suffered nonfatal injuries;
• For any given year, approximately 618,000 kids between the ages of 0-12 will ride in a motor vehicle without using an appropriate safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt;
• 35% of kids under the age of 13 who are killed in car crashes are not wearing seat belts at the time of the collision;
• More older kids between the ages of 8-12 fail to use seat belts as compared with younger kids between the ages of 4-7;
• Child passengers in vehicles of drunk drivers are not wearing seat belts in more than 60% of reported crashes;
• About 40% of kids who ride in motor vehicles with unbelted drivers also are not properly using restraints; and
• Even when parents do install car seats and booster seats, there are misused in anywhere from 20% to almost 60% of all cases.

While many motor vehicle collisions involving children occur when kids are passengers in motor vehicles, accidents also occur frequently when children are pedestrians. Unlike adults, kids are smaller and often more difficult to see. Indeed, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), child injuries in traffic collisions tend to occur most often in the following places:

• Streets;
• Sidewalks;
• Driveways; and
• Parking lots.

While we rarely think about the dangers of a car crash in a driveway or parking lot, these are some of the most hazardous places for auto accidents involving children. In most situations where a child is struck by a vehicle in a driveway or parking lot, the motorist is liable for injuries.

If your child was injured in an auto crash caused by a negligent driver, it is important to learn more about filing a claim for financial compensation. An experienced car accident lawyer can assist with your case. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about how we serve families with car accident claims.