Children and Car Accidents
Here in the Sunshine State, car accidents are a major cause of injury and death every year. And while any car accident scenario can be devastating, one of the most terrifying prospects is when a child is involved in the collision. Unfortunately, this scenario recently became very real as reported by a local news outlet.
According to the Miami Herald, one child and one adult recently had to be flown to a Miami-Dade County hospital following a head-on crash involving as many as three cars near a Florida Keys bridge. Authorities have asserted that the weekday afternoon collision apparently occurred when a box truck and a Dodge Ram pickup truck hit each other head-on. The box truck then rolled over which caused another vehicle to run into the mangroves on the side of U.S. 1. No additional information about the crash or the child’s injuries has been provided yet.
The Car-Related Risks Faced By Children
Unfortunately, statistics indicate that children face significant risks of being harmed any time they are riding along as passengers inside of a vehicle. For example, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has asserted that car accidents are responsible for 1 of every 4 unintentional injury deaths that occur among children younger than 13. And even though the overall numbers of child motor vehicle crash deaths have been declining over the last several decades, almost 1,000 children in that age range were fatally injured in these collisions in 2018 alone.
Protecting Your Children on the Road
Because children are smaller and still growing, they can be more seriously affected in an accident than an adult would be who incurred the same serious injuries. If you have a child, there are multiple steps you will want to take to keep your child safe which include:
- Talking to your child about passenger safety from an early age. You should emphasize to your younger children to always stay in their seat, immediately alert you if their seatbelt or car seat comes undone, and to minimize any kind of distracting behaviors that can cause injury or a crash.
- Regulating who your child rides with. Don’t hesitate to refuse to have your child ride with any driver whose skills you find to be questionable or who has a history of concerning factors such as DUIs.
- Ongoing safety for older kids. When your kids are old enough to drive, continue stressing seatbelt use as well as why things like multiple passengers, drinking and driving, and engaging in distracted behaviors are not a good idea.
Turn to a Trustworthy Legal Team
If you or your child have been injured in a Florida car accident, you are likely facing an uncertain future that may include piling medical bills and a long road to recovery that may seem impossible to reach the end of. Fortunately, you may have rights under Florida law if you or your child were involved in a crash that was not your fault. You may be able to recover from a negligent driver for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more and the right legal team can help you maximize your chances of success during this process. As the Miami personal injury attorneys at Payer & Associates, we have been entrusted by many accident victims over the years to help them obtain the compensation that they need following a crash and we are eager to fight for you. Contact us today for one of the free case evaluations our firm offers.
Resource:
miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article244059232.html
https://www.payerandassociates.com/stay-offline-social-media-can-hurt-your-personal-injury-claim/
