A teenager is dead and his brother injured after a vehicle hit them as they stood on the side of the road in Evans, Georgia. The two boys were playing with a go-kart when a passing truck swerved onto the shoulder and hit them both. Although the younger boy escaped serious injury, the truck came to rest on top of the teenage boy, trapping him beneath one of the back tires.
The child’s mother was on the scene to render assistance immediately, and several neighbors and concerned bystanders came to help. Working together, they were able to move the truck from the embankment it was resting against and rescue the boy from beneath the wheel. Although they were able to apply CPR on the scene, they were unable to save him. The fourteen-year-old boy was transported by air to the Georgia Regents Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead just after noon.
The sheriff of Columbia county gave a statement in which he said the driver had been distracted from the road when he drove into the shoulder and hit the children. The driver has been charged with vehicular homicide in the first degree. The investigation of this catastrophic accident will include an autopsy performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab.
For now, the cause of the accident has not been determined, though it appears that distracted driving played a role. In cases where a driver causes an accident that kills a bystander, the family of the deceased may be entitled to compensation for this wrongful death. A personal injury lawyer may help grieving families through the process of negotiating with the insurance company in order to assure that the family receives the settlement they deserve.
Source: Athens Banner Herald, “Evans accident kills teen, injures brother“, Valerie Rowell and Steve Crawford, October 10, 2013
