Updated on: 3/9/2020
A young boy was injured while he was walking to school after being struck by a vehicle that ran a red light in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood Friday morning.
According to Seattle police, the unidentified boy was crossing North 40th Street at Wallingford Avenue at approximately 7:30 a.m. Friday when a car driving east on east on North 40th Street ran a red light and struck the boy.
The boy was reportedly part of a group of children who were walking together to nearby Hamilton Middle School, and added that that he was in a crosswalk with the walk signal at the time of the pedestrian collision.
Witnesses said the collision caused the boy to roll up onto the hood of the vehicle that ran the red light, and that he had struck his head on the windshield as a result. He reportedly suffered multiple head injuries and was taken to Harborview Medical Center, but was expected to be released soon.
Driver Was Cooperative with Police After Crash
According to statements from police, the driver stopped the car immediately after the collision and was cooperative during their investigation. A drug-recognition expert was called to the scene to interview the driver and determine if controlled substances may have contributed to the collision.
According to The Seattle Times, police officers indicated that glare from the sunrise may have made it difficult for the driver to see the children in the crosswalk or the traffic signal. It is standard procedure for a drug-recognition expert to investigate the scene of all crashes that involve an injury, so this does not necessarily mean that police believe drugs or alcohol are involved in this particular collision.
Legally speaking, it will be important for police to determine what exactly may have caused this particular collision. The boy will likely have accumulated significant medical bills and will likely require additional treatment if the head injury is serious enough, and pursuing a claim for damages to pay for those medical costs will hinge on liability being established.