Too often in Phoenix, drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs decide to risk the safety of everyone and drive while impaired. This is not only a crime in Arizona but it is a decision that can lead to an accident, many of which result in serious injuries or even death to someone other than the impaired driver.
Injury lawyers hate to hear about any accident that was caused by one person’s negligence or recklessness, especially when another has to suffer the consequences of such a decision. Yet in many cases where a child is involved, the results are catastrophic and devastating.
Accidents that lead to injured children may result in criminal charges against a drunk driver but they may also lead to a civil claim by the child or the child’s family against the responsible driver. These civil claims are separate from any charges levied by the State of Arizona and may provide a victim with a financial recovery to pay for any losses incurred, including medical bills and pain and suffering.
In the worst accidents, though, it is clear that money will never be enough to compensate a family for what they lost. This is the case in a tragic Phoenix accident on Wednesday night involving a family out for a walk and a driver who was possibly under the influence of drugs.
Police have reported that a mother, grandmother, and the mother’s three children were walking near 20th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix. The group began to cross the intersection with the right of way and within the crosswalk when a 26-year-old individual driving a truck approached the intersection as well. It appears that the truck’s driver failed to yield to the pedestrians and instead began turning left, putting the truck and the family in the same spot at the same time. One of the children, a 3-year-old boy, was in a stroller and was being pushed by his 10-year-old sister. It appears that the truck struck the stroller containing the boy and leaving him with critical injuries.
Two witnesses, one of them a doctor, attempted to perform life saving procedures on the young boy while waiting for an ambulance to arrive but in the end, the 3-year-old’s injuries were too severe and he died.
The driver of the truck was suspected by responding officers to be under the influence of drugs while operating his vehicle. A blood sample was taken for testing but the results are not yet known, nor is it clear whether the man has or will be charged in the incident.
If your child has been victimized by a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, call the injury lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. today for a free, no obligation telephone consultation to learn whether your child has a case or what legal options exist for your family. We know that accidents happen at all hours of the day and night so we keep a lawyer standing by 24 hours a day to take your call at (855) PHX-LAWYER or locally at (602) 819-5191. If your child has been hurt, do not let your family continue to be victimized. Call us today and let us help you.
Prior Blog Entry:
Scottsdale Bicyclist Critically Injured After Being Hit by Car, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published December 4, 2013.
Resource:
3-year-old boy hit, killed by truck; driver may have been under the influence, by Mia Garcia, Fox 10 News, published December 5, 2013.