Teenage Pedestrian Struck by Car in Fort Mill, South Carolina

FORT MILL, SC- Amp.heraldonline.com writes that a car struck a teenager in Fort Mill this week. The pedestrian was attempting to cross Pleasant Road in the evening at the time of the wreck.*

Police stated that the fourteen-year-old boy was severely injured. Responders rushed the teen to the Carolinas Medical Center via airlift. Reports did not include the condition of the victim. The intersection where the incident occurred is near the Pleasant Knoll Middle School. Police have not yet filed any charges against the driver. 

Pedestrian collisions are becoming deadlier and more common throughout the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of people who die as occupants in cars is dropping every year. The NHTSA gives credit to carmakers for the improving number of deadly vehicle collisions. However, while people inside cars are benefitting from safer vehicles, people outside of the vehicles are dying in higher numbers than at any time in the last 30 years. 

The cars that are keeping occupants safer are placing pedestrians at greater risks. Collision avoidance technology is helping motorists avoid many crashes. Unfortunately, while these systems have come a long way in helping cars avoid striking other cars, pedestrian detection remains extremely unreliable. In fact, at night, when drivers are least likely to see pedestrians, pedestrians detecting systems are incapable of identifying people in the road. 

Additionally, cars are much larger than they were in the past. SUVs, which are incredibly popular among American drivers, are about two times as likely to kill a person they strike than a sedan would be. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:https://amp.heraldonline.com/news/local/article240328861.html and https://www.nhtsa.gov/traffic-deaths-2018 and https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2018/06/28/suvs-killing-americas-pedestrians/646139002/