Tragically, a boy was killed in Covington, Kentucky, while he was riding a bicycle down the street. Apparently, the driver of a pickup truck did not see the boy and hit him while he was riding his bicycle, immediately killing the child.
The driver of the pickup which struck the boy took off after the accident, but policy later found him close to the scene. The police investigating the case arrested the driver for leaving the scene of an accident, but there was no indication that the driver had been charged with a DUI or other drug or alcohol violation.
While there is much left to find out about exactly what happened and why with respect to this tragedy, the family of the boy who died are likely going through a great deal of grief right now because of this fatal car crash. Although no amount of money can bring the child back to life, the parents of the child do have the option of getting some compensation for their emotionally anguish by filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
Perhaps more importantly, although it is hard to conjecture what the boy would be like as a man, these parents are out the love and support of their son which they likely expected as he got older. In addition to asking fro compensation for medical bills and funeral expenses, it is still possible for the family to get compensation for the loss of earning potential this young man had. This is only fair, since, had the boy been an adult, compensation for his lost wages would have been available.
These sorts of tragedies serve as an important reminder to Kentuckians that they need to pay careful attention to the road, particularly when they are traveling in areas where children are prone to be in the street playing or riding their bikes. Drivers have a duty to be careful around children, and when they fail in this duty and cause and injury or death, they can be held legally accountable.
Source: WKYT, “Kentucky boy fatally struck while riding bicycle,” Oct. 8, 2017
