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12-Year-Old Tragically Dies after Suspected Distracted Driving Accident in North Las Vegas
A 12-year-old boy sadly died Sunday, February 16th, two days after being struck by a Dodge Ram pickup truck near Somerset Academy, near Losee and Lone Mountain roads, the Las Vegas Sun reported. The driver of the Dodge Ram allegedly blew through a flashing crosswalk and struck two young schoolchildren Friday afternoon, at about 3:30 PM. The boy’s 9-year-old sister, a student in fourth grade, was also hospitalized with potentially life-threatening injuries.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to all involved in this unthinkable and unimaginable event. We hope the girl who was struck is able to recover from her injuries.
The Las Vegas Sun reported that following the crash, the 47-year-old driver was booked at the Las Vegas city jail and charged with one count each of failure to maintain a lane, failure to give full time and attention to driving, and two counts of failure to use due care around pedestrians. Following the boy’s death two days after the crash, the driver was facing a vehicular manslaughter charge. The accident remains under investigation by the North Las Vegas Police Department.
Safe Kids Worldwide has reported that an average of 44 kids are struck by vehicles while walking every day across the United States. Although the cause of this accident remains under investigation, if reports by police are true, this accident was likely 100%, completely preventable. Drivers face many distractions while they are driving, and must choose to focus on simply driving, eliminating and ignoring distractions.
Any activity that diverts attention away from driving is distracted driving. Distractions can be manual (hands are taken off the wheel), visual (eyes are taken off the road) or cognitive (mind is taken away from the primary task of driving). Cell phones are particularly dangerous because they involve all three types of distraction. A study by the Virginia Technical Transportation Institute found that text messaging while driving increases the risk of crash or near-crash 23 times.
To learn more about how to end distracted driving through advocacy, education, and action, visit EndDD.org.
Driving while distracted puts everyone on the road at risk of serious injury or death, from other motorists to bicyclists and innocent children in crosswalks. For those that survive a crosswalk car vs. pedestrian accident, Injuries may be catastrophic and permanently disabling, resulting in paralysis or traumatic brain injury.
People who have been injured or lost family members in tragedies such as this one may be entitled to recover compensation in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. An experienced lawyer is an important part of recovering this compensation.
Las Vegas personal injury lawyer Zachary D. Clayton is serious about helping victims of accidents in Nevada. He has recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts and understands how devastating it is to go through a catastrophic accident. With his team, he fights to help victims and their families recover full and fair, maximum compensation.
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident, you need an experienced, knowledgeable and aggressive lawyer to fight for your rights. For a free consultation, call our 24/7 Injury hotline at 702-800-4660. As part of our contingency fee agreement, there are never any fees unless we recover money for you.
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