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Child Item

Daughter hit by car near Claddagh Church

paulgalway

On Thursday, daughter was walking near the Claddagh church on the left side of the road, going towards the swamp.

A female in a black 10 G VW golf heading towards the swamp also,was too close to the LHS of the road. As result, the passenger side wing mirror struck my daughter on the elbow.

The driver immediately increased speed and drove away; failing to stop.

This has been reported to the guards and they are looking at CCTV footage from cameras on all possible routes leading to the claddagh.

To the female driver of the golf, you will be identified !!!

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Wompa1

Is there any chance at all the woman didn't notice. Unless it was a bit thud I doubt I'd notice my mirror taking a knock. Wouldn't be looking at the mirror going across the bridge. Or at least I wouldn't.

I know people say she sped up but it could be a coincidence. Either way I hope she is brought to answer her case

Svalbard

I hope your daughter is not seriously injured.

There are a few things about your post that don't add up for me:

- You say your daughter was walking towards 'the swamp' on the left - do you mean towards the park? If so that would put her on the side of the road without a footpath.

-You mention she was with a friend - walking two abreast or single file I wonder?

-She was struck by the wing mirror, so it's entirely possible the driver did not realise she had struck anything.

-Those present may have perceived the driver sped up to get away, but it may have been coincidence.

-Did the incident occur during the day or night?

That road is busy, narrow and dimly lit. Pedestrians would be well advised to walk on the footpath at all times.

paulgalway

Yes, they were on the left and she was on the outside; but she did have a bright red jacket on her.

Incident happened at 10:45am approx.

mikemac

Not going to help now and I'm going to come across as smug but realy, next time the footpath is on the right side

Hope you get satisfaction with the gardai. You should get a letter with a pulse number and garda name and rank so you can follow up if it's going nowhere.

Amhran Nua

It doesn't matter if pedestrians are walking down the middle of the road, motorists have no right to muscle them out of the way or run them down, none whatsoever. The onus is entirely on the driver to be careful, which is part of the responsibility that comes with the privelege of being granted a drivers licence. A privelege which can be taken away.

Likewise anyone that didn't notice striking a person, wing mirror or not, shouldn't be let on the roads.

yer man!

Could the driver have slowed down a bit as there was 2 pedestrians walking 2 abreast on the left side of the road and once she passed/overtaken (badly) she had a clear road again and could increase her speed. Seems to me the driver didn't really notice or think it was serious enough to stop.

Chicken1

Guys I dont want to back any hit and run driver but as you know most cars now have folding mirrors, its possible the driver did not know that someone got hit with a mirror, I was driving into my house one day and struck the left pillar and did not even know until I got out to shut the gate.

tribesman78

Amhran Nua wrote: »

It doesn't matter if pedestrians are walking down the middle of the road, motorists have no right to muscle them out of the way or run them down, none whatsoever. The onus is entirely on the driver to be careful, which is part of the responsibility that comes with the privelege of being granted a drivers licence. A privelege which can be taken away.

Likewise anyone that didn't notice striking a person, wing mirror or not, shouldn't be let on the roads.

Pedestrians have a responsibility too on the road. If what you say is correct then would you walk across the middle of a motorway and expect that hey im the pedestrian no car is going to muscle me out of it.....I think not. The footpath is there for pedestrians and it should be used. Now fair enough if she did speed up and drive away, knowing that she hit someone she should be punished but with the types of wing mirrors that are on cars these days it is possible that she may not have noticed.

Amhran Nua

tribesman78 wrote: »

Pedestrians have a responsibility too on the road.

No, they don't. You have to expect them to do anything including leaping out windmilling their arms and singing the national anthem. This is the reality when there are minors, small children, and people of unstable character walking around.

You might think you haven't got any responsbility if you are driving past a row of cars and a small child leaps out from nowhere - you do have responsibility, you should have been driving at an appropriate speed to be able to either avoid striking the child or to avoid causing real damage. If a pedestrian walks out in the middle of a motorway, you do not have the right to mow them down. At best all you can do is call the guards and drive slowly behind them, and I sincerely hope you aren't driving with an attitude like that.

Only one person in this encounter was driving a one-ton lump of machinery. These are the facts of the situation and I hope no pity is shown to that motorist in the likely event they are caught.

tribesman78 wrote: »

with the types of wing mirrors that are on cars these days it is possible that she may not have noticed.

Then she wasn't paying proper attention. Again, I see no reason why negligence like that should go unpunished.

ciotog

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Then she wasn't paying proper attention. Again, I see no reason why negligence like that should go unpunished.

Exactly, if a motorist is passing that close to a pedestrian and is unaware they struck them then they're unfit to be on the road. Folding mirrors or not.

Bosco boy

Being dead and having the right of way isn't much of a consolation to a family! A bit more cop on and common sence by pedestrians could save a lot of lives!

Happyman42

Very unreasonable OP....sorry your daughter was injured but there are huge variables that maybe at play here. Two abreast on a road where a footpath was provided is foolhardy to say the least. And a rap from a wing mirror could easily go unnoticed in the cabin. Loud radio/music, hearing difficulties, prevailing weather at the time...a strong wind would easily mask that sound in modern insulated cabins. Best to find the person and question them first. Like any accident, it is unfortunate & avoidable but they do happen. Much as the driver may need to see the error of their ways, so too does your daughter. You may not think a pedestrian has any responsibilities in an ideal world, but in the real one they most certainly do, if they want to stay alive!

Amhran Nua

Bosco boy wrote: »

A bit more cop on and common sence by pedestrians could save a lot of lives!

Happyman42 wrote: »

Much as the driver may need to see the error of their ways, so too does your daughter. You may not think a pedestrian has any responsibilities in an ideal world, but in the real one they most certainly do, if they want to stay alive!

Ye can try explaining that to a judge folks, see how far you get with it. And you'll probably have to sooner or later if that's the attitude. Assume every pedestrian and cyclist is a lunatic with a death wish, and you'll have a long and happy driving career.

Happyman42

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Ye can try explaining that to a judge folks, see how far you get with it. And you'll probably have to sooner or later if that's the attitude. Assume every pedestrian and cyclist is a lunatic with a death wish, and you'll have a long and happy driving career.

Ask the judge who he would choose to teach his/her son/daughter how to cross the road! You or me? If my son or daughter came home and told me that they had been walking two abreast (while a car passed) on a road where a footpath was provided, a whack from a wing mirror would be the least of their worries! A little bit of cop on required by your whole family maybe?

Amhran Nua

Happyman42 wrote: »

Ask the judge who he would choose to teacher his son/daughter how to cross the road! You or me?

The judge would tell you that a sizeable minority of pedestrians are not competent to show due regard for their own safety, whether they are drunk, on drugs, minors, or mentally unstable. Therefore the onus is always on the driver to proceed in a manner which takes this into account.

There might be odd exceptions like that time in Limerick where two lads were on the ground around a bend in a motorway far from urban areas, at night, struggling with one another, wearing dark clothing, but in general it's an ironclad rule. Clipping a child with a wing mirror in broad daylight on a city street is completely unacceptable.

Bosco boy

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Ye can try explaining that to a judge folks, see how far you get with it. And you'll probably have to sooner or later if that's the attitude. Assume every pedestrian and cyclist is a lunatic with a death wish, and you'll have a long and happy driving career.

I expect you'll have a short lived career as a pedestrian with an attitude like that!

Happyman42

Amhran Nua wrote: »

The judge would tell you that a sizeable minority of pedestrians are not competent to show due regard for their own safety, whether they are drunk, on drugs, minors, or mentally unstable. Therefore the onus is always on the driver to proceed in a manner which takes this into account.

There might be odd exceptions like that time in Limerick where two lads were on the ground around a bend in a motorway far from urban areas, at night, struggling with one another, wearing dark clothing, but in general it's an ironclad rule. Clipping a child with a wing mirror in broad daylight on a city street is completely unacceptable.

Since when did what happens in a court of law have anything to do with real life? Maybe get down of the high horse and teach your children to have the utmost respect for the road. Never assume anything when it comes to the road. I do the same when driving and I know that that might not always be enough to avoid an unfortunate accident.

the_syco

Happyman42 wrote: »

And a rap from a wing mirror could easily go unnoticed in the cabin.

The driver was completely at fault. If overtaking a cyclist, a pedestrian, etc, they must ensure they give them enough room.

If they did not see the pedestrian, they should either get an eye test to get glasses that will enable them to see the pedestrians, or should be banned from the road.

Chicken1

the_syco wrote: »

The driver was completely at fault. If overtaking a cyclist, a pedestrian, etc, they must ensure they give them enough room.

If they did not see the pedestrian, they should either get an eye test to get glasses that will enable them to see the pedestrians, or should be banned from the road.

How do you know that, were you there and are you a witness to the event, there could have been any number of reasons why it happened like being too far out on the road when walking with no footpath when one was available on the opposite side. The driver is not always the person at fault here

Amhran Nua

Bosco boy wrote: »

I expect you'll have a short lived career as a pedestrian with an attitude like that!

Happyman42 wrote: »

Since when did what happens in a court of law have anything to do with real life?

The most surprising and worrying thing about this is that someone actually needs to explain this stuff to some drivers. I'll say it again - when a pedestrian bumps into someone they don't run the risk of maiming or killing them. Operators of large and fast moving pieces of machinery on public roads do run that risk.

You, as a driver, have the responsibility to watch out for random pedestrians, and proceed in a manner and at a speed which takes unexpected movements into account, from unexpected quarters. If you can't handle that you'll end up a pedestrian yourself, probably after a visit to prison. If that's not real enough for you, I don't know what more can be said.

Happyman42

I seen a child walk straight out onto a pedestrian crossing the other day, why? Because they where taught that cars will 'magically' stop, because that is the law. I teach my children to look first, at zebra and green men crossings..never ever assume that a car will either have the time to stop or is aware of your presence. Common sense imo. As to who is at fault in the Galway incident....we can't say until the driver is found and a proper investigation is done. So it's pointless speculating but I would say, evidence from a parent who wasn't there would be inadmissible, for emotional reasons.

Amhran Nua

Happyman42 wrote: »

never ever assume that a car will either have the time to stop or is aware of your presence.

What part of "a sizeable minority of pedestrians are not competent to show due regard for their own safety" did you not understand?

MarkR

Clearly the driver should have stopped. Was the OP's daughter facing, or walking away from the traffic?

If there is a footpath on the opposite side, then it's always safer to use one if available. Same for facing the direction of traffic. Single file isn't great for conversation, especially walking on the road.

Saying all that, I'm glad she walked away from it. Best of luck with finding the driver. Hope they throw the book at her.

Chicken1

Amhran Nua wrote: »

The most surprising and worrying thing about this is that someone actually needs to explain this stuff to some drivers. I'll say it again - when a pedestrian bumps into someone they don't run the risk of maiming or killing them. Operators of large and fast moving pieces of machinery on public roads do run that risk.

You, as a driver, have the responsibility to watch out for random pedestrians, and proceed in a manner and at a speed which takes unexpected movements into account, from unexpected quarters. If you can't handle that you'll end up a pedestrian yourself, probably after a visit to prison. If that's not real enough for you, I don't know what more can be said.

Rubbish I had a very near miss during rag week when a gob...te was messing as I drove slowly over O Briens Bridge and he nearly fell under my car. whose fault is that "Mine" I think not everyone who uses the roads have a duty of care and that includes people walking etc.

MarkR

Chicken1 wrote: »

How do you know that, were you there and are you a witness to the event, there could have been any number of reasons why it happened like being too far out on the road when walking with no footpath when one was available on the opposite side. The driver is not always the person at fault here

Neither of these should be an issue for a observant driver. Expect the unexpected and all that.

Happyman42

Amhran Nua wrote: »

What part of "a sizeable minority of pedestrians are not competent to show due regard for their own safety" did you not understand?

We are talking 'common sense' here. Shouting that mouthful at an oncoming car will not save you I'm afraid. Consider the accident a lesson, climb down of your horse and teach your daughter some common road sense and respect. Next time she may not be so lucky. Honest to god, some people!

Zulu

Chicken1 wrote: »

Rubbish I had a very near miss during rag week when a gob...te was messing as I drove slowly over O Briens Bridge and he nearly fell under my car. whose fault is that "Mine" I think not everyone who uses the roads have a duty of care and that includes people walking etc.

You're missing the point. It might have been his "fault", but that's moot.
YOU are responsible if you hit him.

You can cry & whine all you like, but if a motorist hits a pedestrian, the motorist is responsible.

kodute

This has descended into nonsense, stop bickering about traffic law and post here only if you have seen the incident or have news that suspect has been tracked down. This isn't the motors forum.

OP I hope your daughter recovers soon

Amhran Nua

Chicken1 wrote: »

Rubbish I had a very near miss during rag week when a gob...te was messing as I drove slowly over O Briens Bridge

Exactly my point - you were driving with due care and competence, and so avoided an accident. If you had hit him you'd have been liable.

Happyman42 wrote: »

We are talking 'common sense' here.

No, we're talking about the conditions under which you are allowed to retain your driver's licence and in all likelihood your freedom. You are responsible. This doesn't seem to be filtering through so once more for the road - drivers cannot reasonably expect pedestrians to show common sense. This is one of the conditions under which they are allowed to drive.

Bosco boy

MarkR wrote: »

Neither of these should be an issue for a observant driver. Expect the unexpected and all that.

If life was only so simple!