chachachick said:
On the way back to my friends house we were on the street advancing through green light when a kid darted out into traffic behind a truck and into the path of the car in front of me. I saw the car hit the kid who immediately got up and half ran/hopped onto the sidewalk. As I was pulling over to help the kid ran up to my car screaming "help me, help me!" I've never seen anyone in such a frantic and terrified state. My friend called 911 and I got out just as I heard the couple who hit him offer to take him home. I just shouted at them, "No! He's going to the hospital!" I could tell that the boy's leg was hurt and it wasn't until I had him lie down on the sidewalk that I could see that the hoodie he was wearing over his head was starting to pool with blood. The couple who hit him chastised him a couple of times for running out into traffic and the boy was apologizing and saying that his head hurt and asking if he was going to die. It was hearbreaking and I held his hand and tried to reassure him that he would be okay and that it wasn't his fault. I got him to give me some demographic information as I was scared he would lose consciousness and nobody would know who he was or who his people were. I was trying not to panic so the kid would stay as calm as possible but I felt on the edge of losing it myself. It was a shock to say the least. The police and ambulance arrived in a few minutes and got the story and took the kid to the hospital.
It does seem that the driver was not at fault, that traffic was moving and the kid just darted into the middle of it. If the car in front had not hit the kid, then the car chachachick was in may have hit him. It sounds pretty awful for everyone.
As someone said earlier, the driver may have been pretty shaken up by the experience, and not wanted to get behind the wheel at that time.
It also doesn't seem as if the police asked who was driving, or if they did, I don't see it in the above account.
The fact that they stopped and offered to take the kid home shows that they are taking responsibility for the accident. They don't seem negligent at all.
I think the importance of this thread is as a reminder of how important it is to stay awake while engaged in activities that have become mechanical. There is always the possibility of those awful moments when the world turns upside down due to a combination of factors.
But if the car in front would have suddenly stopped, would chachachick's car have hit it? If the kid had avoided being hit by that car, perhaps the car in the next lane, (if there was one), would have hit him. Maybe it would have been worse.
It's all speculation of course, but as I said, it's important to stay awake.
It does seem that no one is at faul