13-Year-Old Palm Bay Student Struck by a Car While Trying to Cross the Street

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 4, 2021

According to a statement from a spokesperson with the Palm Bay Police Department, authorities with the traffic unit have opened a formal investigation into a pedestrian accident that severely injured a 13-year-old boy Thursday morning as he was walking across the street to catch his school bus.

Preliminary reports from the Palm Bay Police and Fire Department indicate that it was close to 9 a.m. on December 2, 2021, when a 13-year-old male student of Southwest Middle School was walking toward the intersection of Cogan Drive and Reading Street where his bus stop is located. Witness statements retrieved by fire officials said that the school bus was fully stopped and illuminated with its flashing safety lights before the teen ventured into the roadway. It was as the student approached the school bus that an oncoming motorist, for reasons that are currently unknown, chose to bypass the warning signals and drive around the parked vehicle. This deadly and illegal decision positioned the driver’s vehicle on a collision course with the young pedestrian and before anyone could realize what was happening, the car collided with the child.

Members of the Palm Bay Fire Department and additional Brevard County police officers were dispatched to the scene of the auto accident where they found the 13-year-old conscious but suffering from critical injuries. After emergency medical teams stabilized the boy for transport, he was first taken to Health First’s Palm Bay Hospital and was then medevaced to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

The unidentified driver of the vehicle who struck the student pulled over after the collision occurred and has been fully cooperative with the Palm Bay Police Department. They have been issued multiple citations regarding the incident. Depending on the child’s recovery process, further charges could be expected. Further information surrounding the victim’s condition has yet to be released to the public.

Since 1977, Orlando auto accident attorney James O. Cunningham has been compassionately representing the families and victims of pedestrian accidents, hit-and-run collisions, rear-end accidents, and T-bone collisions. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please submit a few details about your case on our website or call our office directly at 877-FL-INJURY to speak with an associate.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.