Parents Fundamental Role in Protecting Children from Auto Accidents
Sometimes you simply have to scratch your head and wonder what parents were thinking. A parent is the first and last line of defense against their child suffering serious injury and even fatalities in car accidents.
Few would argue the point that a parent should never operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated, particularly with a child in the car. Parents should also ensure that their child is buckled up or properly fastened in a child safety restraint based on the child’s age and weight. Unfortunately, some children suffer tragic injuries and wrongful death merely because of poor judgment or indifference by adults.
A tragic accident recently provides a particularly egregious example of bad judgment by a parent when it comes to the safety of kids in motor vehicles. A 12 year-old-boy was killed in a fatal car crash in the state of Washington when he crashed a car that he was driving at a speed of 80 mph. There are so many disturbing details to this tragic car accident that it is hard to know where to start. First, the 12-year-old boy had been taught to drive on public streets by his father who permitted this practice on multiple occasions.
Apparently, the instructions did not include how to maintain a safe driving speed. If you are not horrified yet, it gets better (worse). The boy at the time was driving with his father’s girlfriend in the passenger seat of the car. The practice of the 12 year-old-boy driving was so routine that he even drove when his father was not in the vehicle to supervise the boy’s driving. While one might wonder how both the husband and his girlfriend could exercise such poor judgment and irresponsible parenting, the story gets worse as the girlfriend’s young daughter was also in the car during the fatal auto accident.
The police investigation of the fatal car crash indicated that the boy was driving 80 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone when the car slammed into an SUV occupied by a grandmother and her granddaughter. While all fatal auto crashes are tragedies, they are even more heartbreaking when they involve the avoidable loss of a child’s life. Admittedly, this story is an extreme example, but parents take similar risks when they speed, drink and drive or text and drive. We urge all Atlanta parents to focus on the road and drive carefully when transporting their children, and never drink and drive.
If you or your children are injured in an Atlanta auto accident, the caring and experienced Atlanta auto accident attorneys at Montlick and Associates may be able to represent you in dealing with the insurance companies and legal issues. Our Atlanta auto accident lawyers are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.