Haines City Girl Struck By Car While Walking to School Bus

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on April 7, 2013

Polk County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a pedestrian accident involving a seven-year-old girl who was struck by a car and injured recently while she walked to a school bus. According to deputies investigating the accident, the girl was walking across Johnson Avenue to the school bus when she was struck by a car driven by a 45-year-old man who was traveling eastbound. Deputies say that the man drove around the bus despite the fact that the stop sign arm was deployed and the lights on the bus were flashing. The collision caused the girl to fly seven feet into the air and land on the roadway. She was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Orlando, where she is listed in stable condition with serious injuries. She is expected to recover from her injuries. The driver was arrested and is being held in the Polk County Jail. Deputies report that the man will face reckless driving and other charges in connection with the accident

You don’t have to be an Orlando pedestrian accident lawyer to wonder what could have been going through the driver’s mind when he deliberately passed a stopped school bus with its lights flashing. Perhaps he thought that his time was more valuable than the safety of schoolchildren was. He could have been talking or texting on his cell phone or otherwise distracted. He could have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Speculation is fairly worthless at this point. The only certainties in this unfortunate and completely avoidable accident are that a little girl was badly injured and that this driver was grossly negligent.

Central Florida residents know that our area is the most dangerous place in the country for pedestrians. Each year, more pedestrians are injured and killed in the Orlando metropolitan area than any other place in the U.S. Sadly, most of these accidents are caused by negligent drivers, who could have avoided striking and injuring their victims if they had exercised the level of care that most of us use every day. If a negligent driver has injured you or someone you love and you want to know more about the law, your rights and your legal options, call Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham today at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587). Over nearly four decades of practicing law, he has helped many injured people receive the fair and just compensation they deserve through court awards and negotiated settlements. Call today to get his skills and experience on your side!

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.