Child Run Over by Car in Aiken, South Carolina

AIKEN, S.C. — First responders raced to attend to a child hit by a car in Aiken on Monday. Officers assigned to the Aiken Department of Public Safety arrived on the scene to find a child who was riding a bicycle and collided with a car. The driver of that car stayed with the child at the scene of the crash, according to an article appearing in the Aiken Standard. Officers said that they received a 911 call at approximately 2:20 p.m. reporting the accident at the intersection of McCormick Street N.W. and Abbeville Avenue N.W. *

Officers learned that the child was riding the bike south on McCormick Street N.W. and did not stop entirely at the stop sign at the intersection with Abbeville Ave. N.W. A car heading west on Abbeville Avenue struck the child. The juvenile was seriously injured. EMS personnel arrived quickly and transported the child to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries. The reporting officers determined that the driver should not face any criminal charges or receiving any traffic citations.

With the early closing of schools, motorists must be aware of the possibility that more children will be out on the street than normal. Motorists must be cautious and be ever vigilant when driving, especially in residential areas. Children can be unpredictable and will dash across the street for seemingly no reason because they are unaware of the danger around them. Drivers are well-advised to slow down when riding in neighborhoods or locations with heavy pedestrian traffic. 

Parents and guardians should thoroughly explain to their children that they must follow all stop signs and look before crossing the street. Also, bike riders, skateboarders, and scooter riders, among others, must always wear helmets. Public safety officials also suggest that children should travel in pairs when bike riding. Multiple riders are more easily seen by motorists and can render aid if something happens. 

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.

Source:https://www.aikenstandard.com/news/police-child-struck-by-vehicle-in-aiken/article_c1829692-72b6-11ea-877a-eb3ca294cd2e.html and https://secure.in.gov/dhs/files/school_is_out.pdf