Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center collaborated on a study that looked at state-by-state trends in fatal vehicle crashes involving children under 15. Based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the years 2010 to 2014, Florida emerged as the state with the third highest number of child deaths in motor vehicle accidents. During that period, 144 children died on Florida roadways.
The South as a region fared the worst when compared to the Northeast, Midwest and West. Out of a nationwide total of 2,885 child deaths, 1,550 died in fatal crashes in the South. This produced a mortality rate of 1.34 children per 100,000 children per year for the region.
The researchers blamed deaths on failures to properly restrain children inside of vehicles. Disparities in the enforcement of state laws concerning child vehicle restraints also contributed to the variations across the country. The authors of the study concluded that the consistent enforcement of effective child safety rules could save over 1,000 lives over the course of five years.
Fatal car accidents can result in severe economic burdens being suddenly placed on surviving family members, regardless of the age of the decedent. They must have to deal with paying for a funeral and a burial, and in cases where the person who was killed contributed to the household budget, those amounts must somehow be replaced as well. In situations where the accident was the result of the negligence of another driver, such as one who was speeding or drunk, an attorney could assist the survivors in seeking compensation for those and other losses through a wrongful death lawsuit.
