Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recent held a symposium in Denver. Statistics were reported at the symposium regarding child deaths from automobile accident. Statistics show that the number of deaths from automobile accidents of children (age 0 – 20) dropped by forty four percent between the years of 2003 and 2008. The event / symposium was held as part of a campaign of awareness and prevention by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Coon Rapid, Iowa, a 16 year of boy (Casey Daniel Stork) died in an accident. Casey was the passenger in a Ford Escape SUV driven by another 16 year old – Daniel Kult. News report indicate that Daniel Kult was trying to pass another vehicle when he lost control of the vehicle, entered a ditch, and then rolled over several times before coming to a stop in the yard of a residence.
Residents and tourists to Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii need to be aware of the cell phone ban that is in place and being enforced by the Honolulu Police Department. Drivers can receive a traffic citation if they are holding an electronic device including cell / mobile phones, test messaging devices, PDA (personal digital assistant) devices, laptops, and digital cameras. At this time, the use or handling of GPS devices are permitted.
Texting while driving has become a major safety issue for teens and adults alike glued to their telephones while driving. Talking on a mobile phone can be distracting in that the driver’s mind is occupied with the conversation rather than the road, other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Texting is a bigger problem because drivers are looking at the mobile phone screen. Texting can be blamed for a number of deadly automobile crashes during the past few years including the following:
In Alabama and other states, roads are filled with teenage drivers. It is a big responsibility to get behind the wheel of a car. The teen driver is not only responsible for his or her own safety but also the safety of the passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. An automobile is a “dangerous instrument” that can and does cause wrongful death and personal injuries on a daily basis. In Alabama, one out of every eight teenage drivers in an automobile accident according to 2007 statistics. This amounts to 30,000 teens out of 250,000 teens according to the Alabama Safe Teen Driving Coalition.
In Georgia, a parent can be held liable for the negligence of a child driving an automobile that is maintained by the parent for the use and convenience of his family. If the parent, as the owner of the car, has given permission to his child to drive the car and has relinquished control of the car to the child then the parent can be held liable for injuries caused by the child as long as the child was in the car when the accident occurred and the car was being used for a “family purpose.”