A 9-year-old boy who was killed in an Orange County car accident has been identified by officials as Nicholas Vela. The Orange County Register reports that Nicholas, who was riding his bike home from school in Anaheim, was struck by the driver of a Ford F-250 pickup truck at the intersection of Orangewood Avenue and Loara Street. Anaheim police say the truck driver was stopped at a stop sign, did not see Nicholas crossing the street, accelerated and hit him. Nicholas sustained critical injuries in the crash in spite of wearing a helmet and died at a local hospital.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Nicholas Vela for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. My heart goes out to this grieving family and they will be in my prayers.

Bicycle Accidents Fatalities and Injuries

There were 16 deaths and 1,020 injuries involving bicycle accidents in Orange County. Among children, bicycle accidents are said to be leading cause of fatalities and injuries next to car accidents. An international safety organization called Safe Kids estimates that more than 70 percent of children between ages 5 and 14 ride bicycles. According to data gathered by the group, 134 children died as a result of bicycle accidents in the year 2001. In the following year, about 288,900 children aged 14 or under received emergency treatment for injuries caused by bicycle accidents.

Based on this news report, police are calling this Nicholas Vela's death an unfortunate accident. The pickup truck driver insists that he never saw Nicholas crossing the street. No citations or arrests have been made in this case.

Questions still remain

There is no question that this is simply a tragic and heartbreaking accident. And maybe the truck driver did not see the boy. But the question is why he did not see Nicholas. Maybe the large pickup truck hampered his view of the roadway. It is also true that is many cases drivers of large vehicle or even compact vehicles fail to watch for smaller vehicles or pedestrians on the roadway.

Very often, motorists tend to forget that they share the roadway with other vehicles and with pedestrians. In this particular case, if I were a member of Nicholas' family, I would also want to know whether there was any negligence on the part of the truck driver. Another factor in such accidents is a possible dangerous roadway condition. If that was the case here, the city or governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could be held liable. An experienced Orange County personal injury lawyer will be able to analyze all aspects of an accident and advise victims and their families about their legal rights and options.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.