Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
When a child is hurt in a traffic-related car crash, the amount of emotion, anger and resentment felt by parents can overwhelm their ability to make the proper choices when it comes to day-to-day activities, not to mention deciding whether or not to file an injury claim against the responsible party or parties. The injured child’s parents and other loved ones may certainly have more important life decisions to deal with when a youngster is in the hospital, possibly fighting to survive a severe or critical injury. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff have the training and the skill to guide a family through what can be a very emotional time.
While our passion for and commitment to these young victims is quite strong, as professional trial attorneys we are also trained to maintain a necessary level of objectivity in order to plan for a child injury lawsuit or argue a wrongful death claim in a court of law; and always with the goal of attaining the best possible outcome for our clients. When it comes to automobile, trucking and motorcycle injury accident cases, our entire team is dedicated to helping our clients recover full and fair compensation under the law.
As we have mentioned time and time again, the risk of injury or death for a minor child can be quite high in instances of severe traffic collisions. This is true even when a child or infant is properly restrained in a vehicle that is hit by a commercial motor vehicle or even another passenger car. Similar to adults, yet even more so, a bad roadway accident can result in closed-head trauma and other brain-related injuries, spinal cord damage, and even injury to delicate internal organs. The effects of such accident can leave a child with medical problems that can persist all through their adult lives.
Depending on the type of traffic accident, the following are a few reasons or causes for a child’s injuries can be traced back to any number of factors:
— Poorly designed or defective child safety seats
— Unsafe child booster seats that can fail in a side-impact crash
— Collapsed front seatbacks that may strike a youngster during a rear-end collision
— Brain injuries caused by the head striking the pavement in a pedestrian accident
— Improperly designed or fitted bicycle helmets
— Injuries sustained as a passenger during a school bus accident
Regarding the latter of these, we recently ran across an article describing a traffic accident involving a school bus and several other passenger vehicles. While there were fortunately no children seriously hurt as a result of this particular crash, it does serve as a warning to parents that anything can happen once our kids are out of our immediate control.
Even in instances where another trusted individual or organization has a responsibility to keep a child safe, there is always a chance that an accident may occur that is beyond the control of those in charge. Of course, should the child’s assigned caretakers fail in their responsibility, it is up to the parents to consult with a personal injury lawyer to determine if a lawsuit is in order, or who, if anyone, should be named as a defendant in a personal injury claim.
According to news reports, the accident in question happened on a Tuesday morning at the crossroads of York and Ridgely Baltimore County. Based on police information, a late model Hyundai Santa Fe driven by a 55-year-old Pikesville resident was going south on York Rd. when it slammed into another Hyundai that was waiting for a red traffic light. Apparently, the force of the impact caused the second vehicle to be pushed into a Chevy sedan, which then struck a county school bus.
The Pikeville driver was seriously hurt as a result of the multi-car crash, and the man was taken by emergency responders to Sinai Hospital. The other Hyundai driver, also injured, was taken to Greater Baltimore Medical Center for medical treatment. Fortunately, the children in the bus, which was headed to Timonium Elementary School, were not injured to any extent.
At the time of the news story, police had not yet cited any of the drivers; however, authorities believed that the Pikesville driver may have been initially responsible for the chain-reaction traffic collision.
UPDATE: Details Emerge in 3-Car Accident With School Bus; Patch.com; February 12, 2013