According to KMBC:
A 13-year-old boy riding a bicycle was hit by a pickup truck at 139th Street and Blackbob Road on Thursday morning.
The crash was reported at about 7:20 a.m. Police said the Frontier Trail Middle School student was riding his bike across busy Blackbob Road in the crosswalk when the driver of a red pickup truck, turning right from 139th Street, struck the boy.
The boy was taken to a hospital for cuts and bruises.
Police told KMBC’s Jana Corrie that the driver won’t be ticketed because it was an accident. The driver said he was unable to see the boy because the sun was in his eyes.
Read more: Teen On Bike Hit By Truck In Olathe (with video), Teen Hit By Pickup While Riding Bicycle, Teenager on bicycle suffers head injury after being struck by pickup.
But “the driver won’t be ticketed because it was an accident”? Yikes.
Of course it was an accident — most people don’t want to hit a child with their vehicle — but it seems like “failure to yield” or “failure to maintain a proper lookout” would apply to a vehicle hitting someone in a crosswalk, particularly if the driver made the decision to drive even if he or she couldn’t see properly…
Although the boy wasn’t wearing a helmet, and suffered a head injury, he was apparently conscious, and his injuries aren’t life-threatening. Thank goodness.
Post tags: Inattentive Driving
Saying he didn’t see the rider isn’t an excuse, it’s an admission of guilt. Drivers are required by law to be alert and aware of road conditions at all times; if you can’t see what’s directly in front of you, you shouldn’t be driving.
It is important to stop labeling these serious, potentially dangerous collisions as accidents. Drivers MUST be aware that they are driving thousand pound bullets that can (and do) kill many innocent people. Just because something is prolific in our society, does not mean it can be used with out thinking. This driver should suffer the consciences of hitting a child with a thousand pound bullet.
Pathetic.