On behalf of DelVecchio & Miller, LLC posted in personal injury on Thursday, November 8, 2018.
A second-grader waiting at a bus stop in the dark was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Pennsylvania on Thursday morning. The driver allegedly wasn’t even aware that the child had been hit.
This is the latest in a string of high-profile accidents across the country that have injured or killed children at bus stops. Three children — all siblings — were killed trying to get to their school bus by a reckless driver in Indiana. Another driver was arrested after killing a child who was crossing a highway to reach his bus in Mississippi. In Florida, a teenage driver struck and injured a Florida child who was trying to board a school bus after the driver failed to stop.
The investigation into the Pennsylvania case is ongoing and information about the driver is being withheld until the police decide if charges are warranted. Although the driver didn’t stop after the 7-year-old boy was hit, evidence suggests that the driver was not speeding. The bus driver en route to the school found the child’s body at the bus stop.
As winter approaches and the days are increasingly shorter, it’s important to review some safety rules that will keep your school-age children safer.
Use reflective wear or tape on children’s clothes
Since your child may be standing in the dark while waiting for the bus, make sure that his or her backpack, sneakers and jacket are marked with reflective tape. That will help drivers spot your child in the dim light.
Show your child where to stand
Explain the dangers of standing too close to the road (or in the road) to your child. Make sure that he or she knows to always stay at least a foot back from the curb while waiting for the bus.
Remind your child to look both ways when crossing
Although cars are supposed to stop when a school bus picks up or drops off children, that doesn’t always happen. Remind your child to always practice standard safety measures and look both ways before crossing a street.
If your child is injured by a driver while waiting for the school bus, an attorney can help you better understand your legal options.