Anatomy of a Pedestrian Accident 2-7-2012: Justice Denied

[XLFD]

I always cringe when I read about any accident involving a kid going to or from school getting hit by a vehicle.  Not just because of the sadness involved with the death or serious injury of a child but more because of the excuses the drivers, police and even the media make for not blaming the driver for an alogether avoidable incident.  A case in point has happened this morning in Holland Township. 

 

WWMT reports:  "A young girl has been rushed to the hospital with a head injury.

The accident happened this morning around 7:20 on Riley Street near 136th Ave. in Holland Township.

Officers say 12-year-old Justice Alberta ran behind a car that was waiting to turn onto Riley Street. She was struck by another car that was behind that vehicle when the driver didn't see her.

 

WOOD TV reports: "Justice Alberta was crossing Riley Street to the north near 136th Avenue in Holland Township. A westbound vehicle was stopped at the intersection as the driver waited to turn south.

Justice ran behind this vehicle and into the path of an oncoming car, police said.

The driver of the second vehicle had a green traffic light at the intersection, and told police she did not see the child and could not stop in time.

 

WHTC reports:  "According to Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Austin, Justice Alberta tried to cross Riley Streetnear 136th Avenue around 7:20 AM. Alberta ran behind a stopped vehicle, waiting to turn left, and right into the path of a westbound car, driven by Pamela VanZwoll, that was going forward on a green light and who couldn’t stop in time to avoid striking the girl.

The youth was eventually taken to DeVos Children’s Hospital for treatment of a critical head injury; the 60-year-old VanZwoll of Holland was not injured."

 

This twelve year old is suffering from critical head injuries that happened because she brought it on herself-- according to the news agencies and investigating sheriff sergeant.  Hogwash; this girl may die because of two motorists behaving badly.  If you try to visualize what happened, you will realize the three stories paint contradictory information as to how it happened.  Here's a picture of that very intersection where she tried to cross to get to school.  We are looking east:

The boxed in black car above is westbound, and would be where the striking vehicle would have been a split second before the accident, the red polygon is where the car would have been that is turning south that Justice is to have ran behind, and the orange path is Justice's path to get across Riley Street. 

 

I make the assumption that the southward turning vehicle has blocked the crosswalk, forcing Justice, to have to go behind it (note: the last news account state the vehicle she ran behind was turning left(north), either way one would have to presume the crosswalk was blocked). 

Whenever a vehicle blocks the crosswalk, which is against the law, in making such a turn, they should become culpable in the aftermath of that action.  If this vehicle had not went across the crosswalk in front of a child that was wanting to cross the street, this accident may not have ever happened.  If you care at all about safety, never block a pedestrian from using the crosswalk, or you may have to live with knowing you have played a part in an accident like this.

 

Still, Justice should have gotten across this street.  There is no pedestrian signals she had use of, so in the time it took her to go around the vehicle and get past the median, it takes a while.  The visibility of all westbound cars allow them to see pedestrian traffic from a long distance away going up either side of the intersection.  Cars travelling during the time kids are walking to school have an extra duty to keep an eye open for them, and to vary their driving accordingly. 

 

VanZwoll, the driver who was not injured, could have seen the girl come up to the street, go around the south-turning car (the 12 year old's upper features would be visible behind a car), cross a lane of eastbound traffic, and enter her lane-- but she didn't. The only question was whether she had noticed all that occuring and didn't modify her driving or whether her attention was diverted to something else. 

 

Around the same time in Kentwood another person was getting hit after having almost crossed the road after having got dropped off by a bus.  His fault, of course.