Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for children ages 3 to 14 years old, according to 2008 crash statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Some of the most tragic and difficult cases handled by the Chicago car accident attorneys and the personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes involve the serious injury or death of a child in a car accident.
In 2008, 1,347 young passengers were killed in traffic accidents nationwide and 193,000 were injured. Every day, an average of 4 children under the age of 14 are killed and 529 injured in traffic accidents.
Illinois ranked 6th in the nation for the highest number of children killed in automobile accidents. Texas (154), California (142), Florida (73), Georgia (65) and North Carolina (45) were the five deadliest states.
Nationwide, alcohol was involved in 16 percent of the fatal crashes — about half of those occurred when a child passenger of a drunk driver was killed.
A total of 270 children were killed in pedestrian accidents and another 13,000 were injured. About half of these child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 4 and 8 p.m.
Eighty-one children were killed in bicycle accidents and another 52,000 were injured.
The report concluded that child-safety seats reduced the risk of fatal injury to infants by 71 percent and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.
If your child has been injured in a Chicago car accident, pedestrian accident or bicycle accident, the Chicago injury lawyers and Illinois wrongful death attorneys at Abels & Annes offer free appointments to discuss your rights. Call (866) 99-ABELS.