Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By J. Rock Palermo, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Louisiana, four children died and seven were critically injured in a van accident. According to a news story reported at Breaking News 24 / 7, the van was traveling on Interstate 10 near Baton Rouge, Louisiana when the van blew a tire. Thereafter, the van crashed into a delivery and then rolled over. The children, reported to have died from the accident, were Ricky Hines, Jr. (age 2), Lachante Floyd (age 12), Edward Barnes (age 14), and Ashley Hines (age 14). Louisiana police and automobile accident detectives will investigate this van accident to determine the following:
According to Asheville, North Carolina police, a four-year-old boy was killed in a car accident while running across a busy street to catch a bus. The child was reportedly walking with his mother early in the morning, and the mother was holding the boy’s hand. The boy apparently broke away from his mother suddenly and ran into the street when he saw their bus arriving at its stop. He was struck by a car in the northbound lane. The boy suffered a traumatic head injury, and could not be resuscitated by CPR delivered by emergency personal at the scene.
In Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, three middle school children recently suffered injuries as a result of a woman who served to attempt avoid crashing into a traffic jam. The students attended Beverly Hills Middle School. Action News ABC reported that Jemel Brunswick and Tyler Lowery were injured in this automobile / pedestrian incident. The third boy, named Beyene, was reported by his father (Beyene Beyene) to be in a coma at a local hospital. The driver carelessly drove across three lanes of traffic, then hit the boys, and then kept on moving until hitting the third boy 15 yards away. According to police, the driver finally slammed into a parked car and then finally came to a stop. See 
According to Lt. Steve Holton of the Ravalli County, Montana Sheriff’s Office, an unidentified five-year-old boy died in Montana in an accident involving a farm tractor. The child was reportedly riding on the tractor’s running board when he fell and was run over by the tractor’s back wheels. He was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene. The driver of the tractor has not been identified, but has been described as an adult who is not one of the child’s parents. The accident is still being investigated. Police are reporting that the death appears to be accidental.
Three young children were hit by a car in California recently, when a truck stopped to let them cross the road and the impatient driver behind him tried to go around rather than stopping. The children were not seriously injured, but parents are upset because there are traffic signals installed at the intersection – and they have been disconnected for about two years. The parents believe that traffic signals would have prevented the accident. The intersection is near both an elementary and a middle school and is used heavily before and after school. According to police records, of the ten people hit by cars in the city this year, five were children.
In Minnesota and other States, there is a consistent problem with DUI incidents. Tragically, many DUI incidents cause serious personal injuries and even death of innocent people and children. In every DUI incident, there is a danger or risk to any children who is in the vehicle or near the vehicle as it is being driven. Parents especially should consider the best interests of the child when getting behind the wheel. The safety of the child should always take precedence over the convenience or selfishness of the parent especially when it comes to drinking and driving. In West Hennepin, Minnesota, a mother was arrested after a complaint was called in about her driving to the West Hennepin Public Safety Department for poor driving. When police attempted to stop or pull over the driver (Monica Say – age 29) – she refused and kept on driving another 4 to 5 miles. Along this dangerous drive, the chase and / or Ms. Say’s driving almost caused other automobile accidents. It was later determined that Ms. Say’s blood alcohol level (BAC) was .17 which amounted to in excess of two times the legal limit in Minnesota. Ms. Say was transporting two children during this dangerous drive who were 4 years old and 2 years old. The news report also stated that Ms. Say was in possession of marijuana and an open bottle of rum in a diaper bag. Ms. Say was arrested at the scene by the police. You can read more about this story at 
Interstate 35 is a busy highway connecting the Twin Cities to northern points of Minnesota. Eric Sprouse, age 19, lost control of his pick-up truck and swerved into oncoming traffic while travelling northbound on Interstate 35. The driver and a young child in the other car were both killed and pronounced dead at the scene. Sprouse suffered life threatening injuries and was taken to a local trauma center by helicopter. His passenger also suffered injuries and was hospitalized.