Case Studies: Pedestrian Child Hit by Pickup Truck

The incident occurred in Phillips County, Arkansas. A five-year-old child was standing with his babysitter when the child ran into the street. A pickup truck driven by an intoxicated employee of a farming corporation hit the child, damaging his spinal cord which resulted in paraplegia. The Defendant Driver took the position that he was driving safely and that the child had darted out in front of him and that, therefore, the accident was not his fault. Because the child was five-years-old, he was not held responsible for his actions. The pickup truck driver had had several beers and was somewhat impaired with respect to his reaction time. After a thorough investigation, the farming corporation agreed to a substantial settlement which was put in a Special Needs Trust to benefit the child.