Five children were injured in a Riverside car accident that involved an 89-year-old female driver. According to a KABC news report, the serious injury pedestrian accident took place at Cypress and Kirby streets in Hemet the evening of November 12, 2010. Five children — ages 5, 6, 7, 11 and14 — were crossing the street at the intersection. One vehicle stopped, but a second vehicle driven by the elderly woman passed the stopped car and crashed into the children. Three of the children suffered critical injuries and two of them sustained serious injuries. The driver has not been cited pending an official investigation into the car accident.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of these injured children. Apparently, they were crossing the street to return home after playing in a nearby park. Tragic! These injured children and their families will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 26 people were injured in Hemet pedestrian accidents. In Riverside County as a whole, 30 fatalities and 338 injuries were reported as a result of pedestrian accidents during the same year.
Pedestrian Laws
Based on this news report, the children were crossing the road at the intersection and another car had already stopped for them. It is not clear if there was a marked or unmarked crosswalk at this intersection. A motorist is required under the law to stop and yield right-of-way to a pedestrian walking at an intersection in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
California Vehicle Code Section 21950 states: “The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.” The same section also states that the driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian within any marked or unmarked crosswalk “shall exercise all due care and shall reduce the speed of a vehicle or take any other action relating to the operating of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian.”
Liability Issues
I trust officials are looking into whether the driver’s age contributed to the error. It is also important to determine if a driver in such cases should be allowed to continue holding a driver’s license. If the driver is determined to have been at fault, she could be held liable for the accident and the resulting injuries. Injured car accident victims and their families can seek compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation and other related damages. Victims or their families would also be well-advised to contact an experienced Riverside personal injury lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of the incident and ensure that the negligent parties are held accountable.
Seriously injured in a Riverside County car accident? Want to know if you have a case? Want to know what your case is worth? Want compensation for your injuries? Want justice? Want to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to someone else?
Call your best friends in the legal industry after a Hemet pedestrian accident. Call 800-259-6373. The call is free. The advice may be priceless.
Call a Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys Riverside car accident attorney for a free professional evaluation of your case by attorneys who have represented over 6,000 clients since 1978. You will experience award winning representation and outstanding personal service by a friendly law firm in a comfortable environment.
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The Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.