A young child (his exact age was not released by police) was injured in a Salem motorcycle accident involving a pick-up truck earlier this month, according to Salem-News.com.
I have highlighted the dangers of injuries to Oregon children from ATV accidents in previous blogs. The details of this incident – which involved a dirt bike, rather than an ATV, are, however, a reminder that children far too young to drive can be found operating motorized vehicles and that without the exercise of extreme caution tragedy can result in an instant.
According to the newspaper, the accident began with the boy “riding on dirt trails on his grandparents’ property.” The trail in question was apparently next to the road. Though accompanied by his mother, the child “suddenly drove into the roadway in front of the truck.” The Oregon motorcycle accident took place when the child’s dirt bike was struck by a pick-up truck traveling east on Lakeside Drive in Salem. The paper quotes both witnesses to the Oregon child accident and the driver of the truck telling police that “there was no way for the driver to avoid hitting the child.” The paper reports that there is no indication that the driver was “impaired.”
The paper reports that the child suffered serious injuries even though he was wearing a helmet. He was transported to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland following the Oregon motorcycle accident.
From the perspective of a Portland personal injury lawyer, it must be acknowledged that, unfortunately, accidents like these happen far too often. They are the most jarring kind of reminder that motorcycle safety and child safety are intertwined. Vehicle manufacturers need to be aware of the ways their products are used in the real world, parents and other responsible adults need to take proper precautions and motorists, to whatever extent they can, need to be on the lookout at all times.
Salem-News.com: Salem child injured in motorcycle crash flown to OHSU