Florida driver fails to stop after hitting child

Children playing in the parking lot of a Lake County apartment complex were unable to save their friend from being hit by a car that dragged him 15 feet. The 5-year-old car accident victim suffered two broken legs, internal injuries, and a severe road rash.

One of the other children had attempted to alert the boy, who was drawing on the pavement with chalk, to the approach of the speeding car, but he the car was quicker than he was. Another child tried to tell the driver to slow down by raising her hands, but the driver kept going.

The driver later told the police that she was aware of hitting something and thought it was a dog. This, apparently, was not enough reason for her to stop and she kept rolling with the kindergartner under her car until he was crushed under her tires.

The boy faces a long stay in a Gainesville, Florida, hospital, where he was airlifted after the car crash. While he is expected to recover, the accident has caused him catastrophic injuries. He will need months of rehabilitation after having pins placed in his fractured legs. The road rash is so severe that the young boy will need multiple skin grafts and is being given morphine for the pain.

The accident also places a serious financial burden on the child's parents, who have four children. His father is unemployed and his mother is a homemaker, so money is tight. The boy's elementary school has raised funds to pay for a hotel room so the parents can stay near the hospital.

Accidents that involve possible negligence can often cause more than pain and suffering; they can seriously disrupt the lives of the car accident victims. Experienced legal counsel can help Lake County residents who have been injured in car accidents to put their lives back on track.

Source: Orlando Sentinel, "Lake jumps in to help after 5-year-old hit, dragged by car," Lauren Ritchie, Sept. 29, 2014