A 16-year-old girl was killed on Thursday morning when she was struck by a vehicle as it was turning into a parking space at a condominium complex in Gwinnett County. According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the accident occurred at approximately 6:15 AM, just steps away from the victim’s own apartment as she walked to the bus stop for school. It was the second fatal pedestrian accident involving a child in recent weeks, following the death of a 7-year-old girl in Acworth who was struck while walking on the road near her home. On Halloween, an 11-year-old boy was killed after being hit by a vehicle in Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood while trick-or-treating with friends.
In the most recent accident, the driver remained on-scene and spoke with officers after the crash. No charges were filed.
Georgia roadways see more than 200 fatal pedestrian accidents each year, with the Atlanta metropolitan area accounting for around 60 percent of those fatalities. Nearly 80 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents occur outside of intersections. Although non-motorist roadway users (bicyclists and pedestrians) only account for around .4 percent of the individuals involved in traffic-related accidents in the area, they account for around 17 percent of all traffic accident fatalities. In a decade’s time, the number of pedestrians killed annually in Georgia has increased by about 20 percent.
If you lost a loved one as the result of a fatal pedestrian accident, you can seek compensation for the financial and psychological impacts of your loss through a wrongful death claim. An experienced wrongful death attorney from Cambre & Associates can help you understand your legal options as well as providing information about the services we can offer to assist you with your claim. For your free case evaluation, contact us online.
