Young Boy Hit While Crossing Street on July 4th, Driver Keeps Going

            Saturday night on July 4^th, a 10 year old boy was struck by a car while crossing the street with several people in a crosswalk.  The hit and run accident occurred near Waldorf, Maryland on St. Ignatius Drive near Bannister Circle.  While the child suffered serious bodily injuries, fortunately, these injuries are not life-threatening.

            

            Police are still trying to gather more information about the accident and the driver.  In this case, if police are able to catch the driver, the young boy could potentially recover compensation for his injuries because he was in a crosswalk and not contributorily negligent.  If the boy would have been crossing the street without a crosswalk, he would be contributorily negligent and not able to recover any damages. 

            

            Pedestrian safety affects everyone at all times of the day.  Many pedestrian accident injuries and fatalities are caused by intoxication or inattentiveness (i.e. texting while walking) on the part of the pedestrian.  However, sometimes there are negligent drivers who run through a crosswalk filled with people, hit someone, and keep driving.  Out of all the fatal pedestrian-involved accidents in Maryland, about 70% of the time the pedestrian was at fault for the accident.  When a driver has a green light at the same time that pedestrians have the walk signal, the driver must yield the right of way to the pedestrians.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed by a driver while crossing the street and would like to consult an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney for free, contact our office at (301) 854-9000 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Annapolis or throughout Maryland or visit us online at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Personal-Injury/