Rene Chavez, a 13-year-old boy, is now in a medically induced coma after being struck by a car on Thursday.
Rene was riding his bike on Cooper Road south of Warner when he tried to cross the street and was struck by a car. Apparently, two other cyclists had crossed the road ahead of him but traffic had picked back up by the time he attempted to cross. Rene was not wearing a helmet and had to be airlifted to a hospital immediately. He now remains in a coma at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The driver, a 16-year-old-girl, did not receive any citations according to Sergeant Mark Marino.
“Bike helmets are like seatbelts – we recommend everyone wear a seatbelt and also a bike helmet,” stated Gilbert Fire Captain Mike Conner. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to teach our children from the earliest age to utilize every safety precaution and tool available to us and helmets and seatbelts may very well be the two most valuable. According to studies, hospitalization due to biking accidents was down after helmet laws were passed in Seattle, New York, New Jersey, Canada, and California.
It seems, in this case, the driver may not have been found to be at fault by the police, as Chavez apparently entered the roadway right in front of her car. However, that is not always the final conclusion. While the police investigation is important, we know that the police do not always get it right. Evidence of a citation---or lack thereof—is not admissible in a civil lawsuit for damages. We always prefer to rely on our own investigators, who are generally far better educated and experienced than police officers, to determine what really happened in an accident.
Indeed, that is the rule of the courts. The police evidence may be helpful, but unless it can be determined that the investigating officer is truly qualified to give expert opinions—which is not always the case, then the opinions of the police do not come into evidence.
It is oftentimes crucial to hire an experienced and board certified personal injury attorney in these cases—as early as possible, to investigate and preserve evidence.
Our hearts go out to young Rene and his family. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
This woman was probably sppeeding as most young girls do!! I have a few 16 year old friends and they love to speed! It turns them on they say. They know it's dangarous and can kill a pedestrian or hit another car that's why they do it, one girl was touching herself she claims! That's just dirty and too dangerous, hope this girl gets a ticket or something for hitting this boy with her car.
ReplyDelete16 year olds love to speed it turns them on! Tickit the girl or something! She basically killed the boy!!!
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