12-Year-Old Boy Struck by Automobile, Suffers Internal Injuries
In West Valley City, UT, a 12-year-old boy suffered a broken pelvis, a broken arm and internal injuries after being struck by a vehicle as he was crossing a crosswalk to school. The boy is in serious condition in a medical facility as a result of this incident. A 36-year-old man driving his vehicle through the crosswalk struck the boy as he was crossing to get to school.
The man was reportedly taking his son to the same school at the time of the accident. He was cited for failure to yield to pedestrians at a crosswalk. Several witnesses including students at the school saw the accident occur and contacted authorities.
This incident demonstrates several things that people do not take into consideration when operating a vehicle or when crossing a street as a pedestrian. First, drivers must always yield to pedestrians attempting to cross a crosswalk because pedestrians have the right of way at the crosswalk when the “walk” sign has a green light. Secondly, this incident demonstrates how easily a person could be injured if a vehicle is coming too fast for them to stop. Sometimes people do not look in both directions before crossing a crosswalk and expect automobiles to stop for them. However, this is not always the case and some drivers do not always notice the crosswalk or simply fail to stop altogether. If the driver fails to stop and causes an accident leaving the victim with serious injuries or killing the victim, they should be held accountable for their actions in every case.
