A person who is walking on the road is unprotected, unlike the person who is driving a car fitted with several safety features. Therefore, it is not very surprising that pedestrian accidents are often more dangerous for the pedestrian than for the motorist who crashed into them. However, when it comes to children, the stakes go up even higher.
A person who is walking on the road is unprotected, unlike the person who is driving a car fitted with several safety features. Therefore, it is not very surprising that pedestrian accidents are often more dangerous for the pedestrian than for the motorist who crashed into them. However, when it comes to children, the stakes go up even higher.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that close to 20 percent of children who die in traffic accidents do so in pedestrian accidents. This makes it vital for parents to understand how to avoid such accidents and to learn to deal with situations when their little one suffers an injury in an unfortunate child pedestrian accident in New York City.
How do NYC Child Pedestrian Accidents Occur?
With very young children, a parent is always around to monitor what happens on the road. As children grow older and become more independent, they begin walking alone to and from school or the park or a friend’s house. These are the times when they are far more likely to be injured in a pedestrian accident on the crowded streets of New York.
Children are smaller in stature as compared to adults and this makes it difficult for car drivers to notice them on the road. In a school zone, or near a playground or park, drivers are primed to expect the presence of children. However, on other streets and roads, the driver may not be expecting a child to dart onto the road and when that happens, the result is often a serious injury for the child.
Due to their age, children do not have the wisdom to appreciate the danger of traffic. Their ability to judge the distance or the speed of vehicles around them is also not fully developed, and they may believe that they can get to safety, say while crossing a road, well in time.
What Types of Injuries May Occur in Child Pedestrian Accidents in NYC?
When a car crashes into an adult person, it is more likely to come into contact with their lower extremities. Therefore, when an adult pedestrian is injured, it is usually the knees and the legs that sustain injuries. But children are smaller in size than adults, and this means that when a car collides with a child, it is going to hit them higher in the body, and this is what makes child pedestrian accidents more dangerous.
Child pedestrians generally suffer from head and neck injuries in an accident although there may be other musculoskeletal injuries and chest or abdominal injuries too. Traumatic brain injuries and spinal injuries are likely to result in long-term problems for the victim and therefore, it is vital to protect your little from the risk of a child pedestrian accident in New York City.
Tips to Avoid New York Child Pedestrian Accidents
Watching your child suffer due to the injuries they sustained in an accident can be traumatic for any parent. While it is easy to blame the carelessness or recklessness of the motorist, one must remember that in at least a few cases, the actions of the child pedestrian may have also been partly responsible for the damage. Here are few tips on how a caring parent can avoid child pedestrian accidents in NYC:
Follow traffic rules
Learn the meanings of the different street signs and make sure you teach your child how to read them. Educate your child about the importance of following traffic rules and signals every time they step out. Instill a sense of road discipline in your child, so that even if they are walking with a group of friends, they do not participate in any horseplay around the traffic.
Stay alert while walking
When you are walking with your child on the busy streets of New York, make sure your attention is fully focused on what is happening around you. Window shopping, phone calls, messages from friends and social media updates can all wait – on the road, your priority must be safety for yourself and your child.
Use sidewalks and crosswalks
Just as the road is for moving vehicles, the sidewalks are for pedestrians. Make sure your child understands this basic concept of pedestrian safety. Sticking to this safe zone makes it easier to avoid being hit by a careless driver. In areas where there are no sidewalks available, make it a practice to walk on the road’s left side.
This allows you to keep an eye on the traffic as it moves towards you and is definitely safer than walking with your back to the traffic. Crosswalks are meant for pedestrians to cross the road, and motorists are always alert at such points, so it is safer to make use of them even if it means walking a longer distance.
Restrict play activities on the road
Teach your child about the need to avoid playing close to the road. This is important even in areas where few vehicles move on the roads. Children get carried away when chasing a ball or running after a friend, and if they do this on a road where a vehicle suddenly appears, it can create panic for even the most careful of drivers.
Make yourself more visible on the road
In poor weather when visibility is bad, it can be even more difficult for drivers to notice children. If your child is going to be out on the road in such conditions, make sure they are wearing bright-colored or reflective clothing. Train them to carry a flashlight when walking outside after dark.
What Must I Do If My Child Gets Injured in a Pedestrian Accident in New York?
A severe injury in a child pedestrian accident in New York is always going to be a huge shock to any parent. Here are a few tips on how to handle such a situation without panicking:
- Immediately seek medical attention even if it appears as if the child is unhurt. Some types of internal injuries may not show up externally, and these could prove fatal if ignored. So, make sure you get your child to a doctor at the earliest.
- Keep away from argument or discussion with the driver who struck the child. Get all the relevant details of their name, contact information, license number, and insurance provider, but beyond that, do not discuss anything regarding the accident. Instruct your child not to interact with the driver either so that something a child says in all innocence cannot be misused by them later.
- Keep records of your child’s injury and medical treatment, including any therapy or rehabilitation sessions they may have required during their recovery. Store all bills of expenditure you incurred due to the accident, and any other documents related to this event for use as evidence while filing a personal injury claim.
- Get in touch with a child pedestrian accident attorney in New York at the earliest to find out what compensation you are entitled to under New York law.
Who is Considered Liable in a Child Pedestrian Accident?
Everyone knows that one cannot expect children to be careful always even if they have been educated about how to stay safe on the road. This is why it is always considered the adult driver’s responsibility to exercise due caution on the road. Like they do to any pedestrian, motorists have a duty of care to children walking on the road too.
In fact, because of the unique nature of children, it is recognized that motorists must be even more cautious when there are child pedestrians. This is the reason why almost always in child pedestrian accidents, it is the driver who will be found liable for the accident even in situations when the child’s actions may have been partly to blame for the accident.
Consult a Skilled and Compassionate Child Pedestrian Accident Attorney in New York City
When your child is injured in a pedestrian accident, it is natural to feel too shocked to think of anything beyond their recovery. However, you must realize that the law allows you to claim damages for the losses you suffered including medical expenses, emotional damage and pain and suffering caused by the accident.
It is equally important to make the motorist at fault pay for the injury they caused so that it also acts as a deterrent against careless or reckless driving. Soon after you get your child the necessary medical attention, you must contact an expert child pedestrian injury attorney in NYC to process your claim for compensation. This is vital because it can be difficult for you to navigate the complex legal process on your own. When you hire a personal injury lawyer with expertise in child pedestrian accidents in New York, you are far more likely to recover the maximum compensation to which you are entitled.
At Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff, LLP, our attorneys have a lot of experience in dealing with child pedestrian accident victims and we have helped several clients receive the compensation that is due. To discuss the specifics of your case, call Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff, LLP today at 212-344-1000 or contact us online for a free and confidential consultation.
