Motorist charged in July death of 9-yr-old Kansas City, Kansas, cyclist

The driver who hit and killed a 9-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, cyclist was charged recently, according to a KCStar article:

Angel Ovando was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors in the death of Luke Cunningham. If convicted, Ovando could face up to one year in jail for each of the charges -- vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident involving a death.

According to the KCStar article about the collision, the cyclist ran a stop sign and entered the intersection without slowing or checking for traffic.

The motorist--like many who drive on the street where the accident happened--was driving too fast in a neighborhood near a park where children frequently play. The motorist failed to stop upon striking the boy, dragging the boy and his bike a distance down the roadway. Undoubtedly the boy's injuries would have been less severe had the motorist stopped immediately.

And then the motorist fled the scene.

Like most bicycle collisions, the first mistake was the cyclist's--failing to stop at the stop sign and check for traffic. This is the most common mistake made by young cyclists.

But--also like most bicycle collisions--the accident could have been avoided or the severity greatly reduced if the motorist had been driving more carefully--looking out for young people on or near the streets, driving at a speed appropriate for a neighborhood with many children, and stopping as soon as possible rather than proceeding and then fleeing the scene.