A vehicular collision occurred recently in Maryland that resulted in the personal injury of a young child. The auto accident happened in Hampden on May 14, 2015. The child, a boy nearing age 12, was reportedly on his way home from school when the incident occurred.
According to reports, the child was a student at a local academy. He was said to have been walking to a store after school that day. A vehicle allegedly stopped in the road, and the driver signaled to the boy to allow him to cross the street.
Information provided stated that a Baltimore police officer was in his squad car behind the vehicle that had stopped to allow the boy to cross the road. Apparently, the officer did not stop; instead, he maneuvered his car around the stopped car in order to continue traveling. In doing so, his police vehicle struck the young child as he was making his way across the street. Witnesses reported that the officer, who police claim was responding to a burglary, did not use his siren or flashing lights.
The boy remains in the hospital, recovering from a brain injury, multiple broken bones and a collar bone fracture. His mother has filed a lawsuit against the city of Baltimore, asserting that the officer was negligent in his duty to inform and protect the public. Any parent whose child is injured in a Maryland auto accident retains the same right as the woman in this case to file a personal injury claim on his or her child's behalf against the party deemed liable for the injury. In cases where injuries are severe, ongoing medical care is often necessary and can result in mounting debt for those involved. A compensatory award ordered by the court in a successfully litigated case could be used to help alleviate some of those costs.
Source: wbaltv.com, "Family sues Police Department after boy struck by officer's cruiser", Barry Simms, June 22, 2015