Category: Injuries to Children

Arizona roads are governed by a set of rules or laws that instruct drivers when to stop, when to go, where to turn, and how fast to drive. These laws are in place to keep traffic moving while keeping everyone as safe as possible, ideally limiting the number of collisions that take place and in turn, decreasing the number of injuries caused by accidents in the state.

Failing to follow these laws in Phoenix or in the valley may leave a driver in legal trouble and in need of a lawyer to represent the driver in court. Yet if the driver causes an accident, the legal troubles may be more significant and can even lead to a civil claim by any injury victims against a driver. Car accident lawyers in the area understand that in some cases, these civil claims for damages can be much more severe than any citations issued by the State of Arizona, and often can be brought even when a driver faces no charges at all by the state.

It appears that this could be the case after a Thursday morning collision left two children injured when their school bus was struck by an SUV. Police in Prescott Valley have stated that a 58-year-old male driver failed to stop at a stop sign an entered an intersection when he did not have the right-of-way. He collided with a school bus carrying approximately 44 young children, causing a collision that left at least two of those kids injured and in need of medical treatment.

The injured children were aboard a Humboldt Unified School District bus and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Authorities have said only that the injured included a 6-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl.

The male driver of the SUV was also hurt though the nature and extent of his injuries remain unknown at this time. Police have reported that the man was cited for failing to stop at the stop sign which caused a collision and that impairment is not suspected in this matter.
Continue reading “SUV Runs Stop Sign, Hits School Bus”

It is always a tragedy when a child is injured or killed through the negligence of an adult who should have been paying attention to the safety of the child, but these events often seem worse when an adult fails to get help for that child after an accident occurs. Unfortunately personal injury lawyers see this too often in the case of a hit-and-run automobile collision that injuries or kills a child who was walking, riding a bicycle, or was riding in a car.

When an accident causes a child to become injured or even to die, the child’s parents or guardians may be entitled to bring a claim for damages on behalf of that child or for their own losses in the event of death. These claims are usually brought against a responsible party, whether that is a driver of a car, owner of a vehicle, or even a company that owns a building or land that produced an accident. Arizona law allows victims to recover by this means but claims must be filed within a statutory time period or they will be void, which is why it is always a good idea to speak with an accident attorney after your child is injured.

Negligent drivers may face much more than just a civil claim for damages if they are involved in a collision that injures a child, though. The State of Arizona may bring traffic or criminal charges against a driver that can result in serious jail time.

Following a summer crash that left an 11-year-old Chandler boy dead, a male defendant was sentenced this week to seven years in prison for his part in the collision that killed the boy, who was riding his bicycle at the time. Chandler police and prosecutors alleged that the man hit the boy with a truck as the boy rode across Arizona Avenue earlier this summer. Instead of stopping, the man fled the scene without checking to see if the boy was hurt and without alerting police.

The defendant returned to the scene some time later with his father, a retired Chandler police officer, and was arrested and charged for leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He was also sentenced this week to an additional five years on an unrelated drug charge.
Continue reading “Driver Sentenced to 7 Years for Hit-And-Run that Killed Chandler Boy”

A Gilbert boy lost his life after being mauled by three pit bull dogs owned by his babysitter recently. He was just two years old.

Police have reported that a 28-year-old woman was watching the boy and his four siblings in her home as she had done on previous occasions. The woman began babysitting for the family about 10 years ago and knew the children, though most of the time she watched the kids in the family’s home. All five of the children reportedly had special needs and were adopted by a couple who wanted to provide them with a good home.

The children were in the babysitter’s home when something happened and the babysitter’s dogs began to attack. There were four pit bull mixes in the house and three of them began to maul the two-year-old boy who was unable to defend himself. The babysitter attempted to break up the attack and was seriously injured herself during the fight. She called 911 for help and responding officers performed CPR on the young child but unfortunately his injuries were too severe and he died.

The babysitter underwent surgery to repair her injuries and when she awoke, she consented to have the three dogs that attacked the child euthanized. The fourth dog was not involved and is currently being held by Animal Control but will be returned to the woman upon her release from the hospital.

This is a tragic example of dogs turning on small children when there is no indication that the dogs had been aggressive in the past. But the past behavior of a dog is never a guarantee of how the dog will act in the future.

Arizona law makes dog owners responsible for the injuries caused by their dogs regardless of where an attack occurs and whether the dog has been aggressive in the past. This means that even if a dog bites someone once, the owner of that dog can be immediately liable to the victim. This can include financial liability for any medical bills incurred or in the tragic case where a victim is killed, the loss of a loved one’s life as provided to surviving family members.
Continue reading “Babysitter’s Dogs Maul 2-Year-Old Boy”

Police were called to investigate a crash on Tuesday morning between a car and three children who were waiting for a school bus. At this time, the police believe that the 18-year-old female driver may have been distracted behind the wheel, causing her not to see the children and causing a collision.

The incident occurred in Buckeye near the intersection of 309th Avenue and Lynwood, shortly after 7:00 a.m. The woman was reportedly driving eastbound on Lynwood with six children on the west side of the intersection waiting to be picked up by a school bus. The driver allegedly did not see any of the children and struck three of them with her car, a Ford Taurus. She remained at the scene and spoke with police but at this time, she has not received any traffic citations.

The three children who were hit have been reported as males ages 6, 7, and 13. All three were transported to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment but are expected to make full recoveries. Some initial reports indicated that the children all faced life threatening injuries while others described the accident as resulting mostly in bumps and bruises, but at this time, all three boys have been released from the hospital.

It is every parent’s nightmare to learn that their child has been involved in an accident and has been injured. Unfortunately, over 184,000 children are seriously injured in auto accidents every year in the United States and 1,300 children under the age of 14 are killed. Many parents believe that their children will be safe while waiting for a school bus in the morning but as this crash illustrates, that is not always the case.

Police believe that the driver in this accident may have been distracted at the time of the crash. Arizona law makes it illegal to drive while distracted and also makes it a legal violation to risk the safety of others while driving. Yet here, a relatively young driver claims she did not see six children and struck three of them. If these allegations are proved to be correct, it might prove that something was keeping the driver’s attention from the road.
Continue reading “Teenage Driver Hits 3 Children Waiting for School Bus”

A three-year-old boy is dead following a Saturday afternoon car crash in Phoenix and several other people in the same car were injured. Phoenix police responded to the accident and stated that the boy was not wearing a seat belt or otherwise restrained in the crash and was ejected upon impact.

The three-year-old was riding in a minivan driven by a 26-year-old female. Also in the van were a five-year-old, seven-year-old, and 15-year-old children. Authorities report that the driver of the van ran a red light near Broadway Road and Central Avenue in Phoenix and entered the intersection when cross traffic had the right of way. The minivan entered the path of travel of a pickup truck which struck the minivan and caused it to roll over onto its roof. Upon impact, the three-year-old was ejected from the vehicle through a window and landed on the ground.

Police have reported that the female driver and at least two of the four children in the car were not wearing seat belts in the crash and it is not clear if any other occupants sustained injuries. No one in the truck was hurt in the accident and everyone in the truck was wearing a seat belt. It is also not clear if the driver of the minivan has been charged in connection with the crash but police state that their investigation is ongoing.

One of the most common reasons car accidents occurs is that one driver fails to yield the right of way to another. Whether it occurs at a stop sign, a red light, or while attempting to merge, accidents that occur because one driver failed to yield can be deadly. This is more likely to be the case when both vehicles are traveling at a high rate of speed like at an intersection where neither vehicles slows before impact. The greater the speed, the greater the force of the impact and the more likely that injuries or death will result.

Many times, drivers who are stopped after running a red light claim that the light just turned yellow or just turned red and that the driver thought it was not a big deal. In actuality, the traffic lights in any city are timed with specificity to increase safety at intersections. Failing to abide by the local laws and ignoring these lights is not only a crime but also a serious threat to the safety of everyone on the road.
Continue reading “3-Year-Old Killed in Phoenix Car Crash”