Driveway Accidents

I’m Ed Smith, an Auto Accident Attorney in Sacramento. While many people focus on the attention-grabbing headlines of high-speed accidents, even low-speed collisions can have significant consequences. Furthermore, accidents in driveways can be particularly dangerous for many different reasons. Recently, a review article was published which details how dangerous driveway accidents can be.

For many parents, childhood injuries may be viewed as a rite of passage. Children fall down and skin their knee. They may have the occasional cut. Some of them may even require a stitch or two. Some vital statistics for parents to know include:

Facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that over 12,000 children die annually due to unintentional injury. This makes injury the leading cause of death in this age group.
Among non-fatal injuries, slip and fall injuries are a significant cause of hospital visits. Over 8,000 children visit the ER every day due to fall injuries.
Bicycle accidents in children account for over a quarter of a million injuries each year.
Unintentional injuries in the home account for over 2,000 deaths each year.

Among these injuries are driveway accidents.

A Review Article: Accidents in the Driveway

Many parents tend to think of driveways as relatively safe spaces. After all, kids ride bikes, bounce balls, and play with their friends in driveways and front yards. Sadly, accidents actually occur in driveways more often than people think. Information published by a study on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database reveals:

Most driveway injuries happen because a vehicle is moving in reverse.
Children often climb into cars and shift them into reverse themselves.
Younger children are more likely to be injured than teenagers. Most are under 2 years of age.
More than 50 children are injured by vehicles moving in reverse every week.

Based on these statistics, it is clear that most of these injuries are due to a lack of supervision. It is important to remember that young children may not have the developmental skills necessary to recognize cars as dangerous. Therefore, adults must make sure that they know what is happening in their own driveway. It can prevent disaster from striking.

Low-Speed Accidents Can Be Serious

Based on this information, even accidents that occur at low speeds can lead to serious injuries. Because of the weight of the vehicle alone, any impact can place someone in a hospital. If children are run over or struck by a car that is backing up, they could wind up with chronic medical problems that could last for the rest of their life. While the advent of backup cameras and proximity sensors is a positive change, it does not replace human awareness behind the wheel. When in driveways, parking lots, or any other pedestrian-heavy area, it is crucial to be aware of one’s surroundings at all times. This can help minimize the chances of an accident occurring, even at low speeds.

Help from a Lawyer

When a family has a child who has been hurt in their driveway, it is natural to feel some sense of guilt. However, it is essential to make sure that all of the facts about the accident are known. Some of the common questions that parents might have included:

How do I file a claim for injuries and other damages?
How did someone get hurt in a driveway?
How can we prevent this from happening in the future?
Is my homeowners’ insurance going to cover the cost of the accident? Or is that a better question for my car insurance company?
Will the claims filed with my health insurance company be honored?
How am I going to care for my family with a loved one in a hospital?

Clearly, these are issues that can create a significant amount of stress for a family. Everyone needs help during a tough time and speaking with an experienced car accident attorney in Sacramento can make a huge difference. With their expertise, a family has a legal guide who has been in this situation before and can place everyone in the best position for a successful recovery.

Sacramento Auto Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer

I’m Ed Smith, an Auto Accident Attorney in Sacramento. If someone you know has been injured in an accident, please call me at (916) 921-6400. I would be honored to provide friendly, free advice. Families with questions and concerns can also talk with me by calling my toll-free line: (800) 404-5400.

I am honored to be a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Please take a moment to look at our verdicts or settlements here.

Stop by and visit Yelp, Avvo, and Google to look through some information shared by some of my clients.

Image Attribution: The picture at the top of this page can be found at its original location on Unsplash. The photo has been printed here with permission

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Driveway Accidents