Posted in Car Accident,Pedestrian Accident,Personal Injury,Tennessee Accident Law on August 6, 2015
17-Month-Old Child Injured after Getting Hit by Car
A 17-month-old girl was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle in Putnam County Saturday night.
According to a report by the Herald-Citizen, the accident occurred just before 10 p.m. when the child was walking alone on the roadside of Highway 70 West in Cookeville, Tennessee. As the child was walking, a vehicle heading eastbound struck her. A spokesperson from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department says the child is believed to have wandered off from a nearby residence when the accident occurred.
The child suffered internal injuries and was flown to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for treatment via LifeFlight helicopter. When the child was first admitted, she was listed in critical condition, but she was recently upgraded to stable condition.
The accident is currently being investigated by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and the Tennessee Highway Patrol in order to determine how the child was able to leave the area near her home and end up on the side of the highway unaccompanied by an adult.
Traffic Safety Tips for Children
Keeping your children safe is your priority as a parent. One of the most important aspects of child safety is keeping them safe around vehicles—whether they’re a passenger or just walking near vehicles, such as in a parking lot or while crossing the road.
To help protect your child during those situations, follow these tips:
Although vehicles in parking lots typically travel at very low speeds, they’re still extremely dangerous places—especially for small children. To help keep your children safe in parking lots, make sure they’re close to you at all times. Drivers may be unable to see small children when backing up or driving through a parking space, but keeping your children at or near your side will help reduce their risks of being stuck by a vehicle.
Crossing the road puts children at serious risk of being involved in an accident. Young children may be unable to determine if a vehicle is headed in their direction if they can’t directly see it, and some children may attempt to “beat” oncoming traffic in order to cross the road. To help significantly reduce your child’s risk of injury, never allow them to cross the road unless supervised or accompanied by an adult.
Many children rely on buses to get to and from school every day. Although teachers and bus drivers are trained to help keep children safe when entering and exiting buses, it’s still important that you teach your children additional safety tips to follow when waiting at a bus stop or arriving at school. Make sure your child knows to never enter the lanes adjacent to a stopped bus for any reason, and that he or she stays seated while the bus is in motion.
Because it’s impossible for most parents to supervise their children 24 hours a day, the best way to keep them safe is to teach them rules about never crossing the street, never running unattended into parking lot areas, and never walking into the street near their bus or bus stop. By knowing and following these rules, your children will be much safer when you’re not there to directly supervise them.
The Cookeville car accident attorneys at Matt Hardin Law fight for the rights of all injured auto accident victims, so whether you or child was injured in a car, truck, or pedestrian accident, you can count on us to help you get the full compensation you deserve. Get in touch with our legal team today by dialing (931) 754-1188 or filling out a free online consultation form.
