On Friday evening two 13-year old girls were hit while riding bikes on Machias Cutoff in Lake Stevens. The girls were riding on the shoulder when a car suddenly veered onto the shoulder, collided with the two girls and then struck a power pole.
The driver was reportedly distracted by the dog riding in the vehicle, which caused her to take her eyes off the road and drive onto the shoulder and into the two girls. Police do not believe that drugs or alcohol played a part in the collision.
The two bicyclists were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries. The girls’ injuries include brain hemorrhaging and multiple broken bones and compound fractures.
The accident remains under investigation by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and, as of yet, no arrest have been made.
There are two interesting issues potentially implicated in this case. First, injured pedestrians (or bicyclists) are entitled to recover benefits under the at-fault driver’s policy. Second, comparative fault or comparative negligence is applied differently to children than adults.
Read more: By Scott Pesznecker, The Herald
For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.
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