I struck a small child with my car

Not even "Per't Near". I really plowed into him at 30m.p.h.

I wanted to wait and make sure I was not found at fault before blogging about it.

It's like this:

12 March07:

There are many paths for me to take home. They each vary in travel time by mere minutes.
I normally take the interstate home. It's actually the longest route, but least aggravation. I actually pulled out of my parking garage and went left toward I-90, then did a U-turn within 30 feet to go home more quickly on the more direct roads. Apparently I had a date with destiny I couldn't get out of.

For those of you who know the area, I took Cedar Hill to Euclid Hts to S. Taylor to Montecello. Don't ask why it was all higgledy-piggeldy, I kept changing my mind about what I wanted to do after work. Then somewhere between Taylor and Richmond a small child darted under my driver-side wheel.

Best I can tell, three kids were standing in the median where Montecello is split, ages 7, ~6 and ~12. They were between East and West-bound traffic. I didn't see the kids on the median because there was a car in the left lane a little ahead of me and the median was left of that. The seven-year-old ran in front of the left-lane car, but the woman driving it saw them and stopped in time. When she slammed on her brakes I saw her car disappear from my left peripheral vision and him diving at my car. I slammed on my brakes, pulled right out of the right lane onto the tree lawn and still hit him. He was hauling ass. I was going 30 mph when I saw him.

This last fraction-of-a-second evasive maneuver (as far as I can tell) prevented me from hitting him head-on and launching him through the air. I think I just glanced him with the front left quarter-panel.

There were a dozen kids around. 2 witnesses stopped including the woman in the left lane who almost hit him. The older kid with him picked him up and carried him to the tree lawn. He was conscious and there was no broken skin. His leg was broken though, for sure. We convinced the older boy that the kid shouldn't be moved, then one of the witnesses comforted the boy on the tree lawn while we sent the other 2 for his parents.

The Ambulance showed up and took him to Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and I filled out a police report and the crowd dispersed. I wasn't cited as there were many witnesses who assured the officer it wasn't my fault. They could not have been further from a cross walk or intersection and for the love of God I was in the right lane.

My week is basically wrecked when I hit a rabbit. Hitting a small child sucks in a way that doesn't really compare. Shakes you a bit.

As far as I can tell, he was treated in the ER and went home after a day or two. I don't think he went to the intensive care unit, so I assume he had no major organ damage, didn't need 25 hours of surgery or have a shattered pelvis, but there's no way of finding out unless they sue me.
My insurance company did a little investigation and did not find me at fault. And with indicators saying he likely just broke his leg in one or a few places, I'll assume we can all go on with our lives with lessons learned.

I'll keep you toasted

~Jimm