Boy Suffers Brain Injury in Wichita Area Collision
In late May 2019, a motor vehicle struck two children in Rose Hill.
Around the time of the crash, the kids had been playing in a drainage ditch off the road. According to an ABC News report, the collision occurred just after 5 p.m. on a Friday. Witnesses reported that multiple children were in the area at the time of the collision. Police and emergency responders rushed to the scene of the accident. A northbound motorist struck two of the children who attempted to cross the street on foot. Emergency responders rushed both kids to a nearby hospital.
One of those children, an eight-year-old boy, suffered a broken pelvis.
An eleven-year-old child sustained a traumatic brain injury in the collision. Healthcare providers placed the eleven-year-old in a medically induced coma. When the eleven-year-old reached the hospital, physicians listed him in critical condition. The driver of the vehicle did not suffer injuries in the crash.
Pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a significant problem, and they occur frequently as a result of car accidents.
The Brain Injury Association of Kansas & Greater KC reports that 5.3 million Americans currently have disabilities caused by TBIs. Car accidents, including pedestrian collisions like the recent accident in Rose Hill, frequently result in head trauma. The severity of a TBI can vary significantly depending upon many factors. Young people can be particularly susceptible to debilitating traumatic brain injuries in automobile collisions. As the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association explains, brain injuries impact kids differently than they impact adults. Given that children’s brains are still developing, pediatric TBIs can have long-lasting effects.
According to Wichita personal injury attorney Larry Wall, it is extremely important to hold negligent drivers accountable in these situations.
As Wall explained, “motorists have a duty of care to other drivers, as well as to pedestrians.” Accordingly, “families of car accident victims should consider filing a claim against the responsible driver.” While pedestrians can be negligent themselves, Wall clarified that many pedestrian collisions occur because of driver error.
While police indicated that they did not arrest the driver in the Rose Hill crash, the case remains under investigation. Distracted driving, aggressive driving, and intoxicated driving often result in serious car crashes. When a driver is not paying attention or following the rules of the road, that driver can injure a pedestrian. It is important to understand pedestrians’ rights in Wichita and to hold negligent drivers responsible when collisions occur.
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