Posted on Sep 15, 2011

A Humble, TX woman identified in news accounts as Marissa Lynn Vandussen received a third degree felony charge of failure to stop and render aid. She stands accused of hitting the 10-year-old son of an acquaintance in the leg with the front of her moving car.

According to news accounts, an acquaintance had paid Ms. Vandussen to convey her and her four children to a store and then to a local park. After Marissa Lynn Vandussen dropped off the mother and children at their home and reentered her vehicle, the mother apparently initiated a confrontation with Ms. Vandussen. Marissa Lynn Vandussen hit one of the children with her vehicle as she left the scene of the confrontation. The injured 10-year-old boy went by ambulance to Texas Children’s Hospital.

Police responded to the incident, but Ms. Vandussen had already left the scene. A witness pointed out a silver Ford Taurus driven by Ms. Vandussen as it passed slowly by. Police officers pursued the car, initiated a traffic stop, charged Ms. Vandussen with failure to stop and render aid, and took her into custody. Police took Marissa Lynn Vandussen to Harris County Jail, which held her on a $5,000 bond.

We find that the spare news accounts of this incident don’t reveal much about the circumstances of the child’s injury or the confrontational context in which it occurred. News accounts don’t make it clear whether the child was struck by accident or by design. We dearly hope that it was just an accident, and we wish the injured young boy, an innocent victim of the confrontation, a full and rapid recovery.

As lawyers specialized in personal injury law, we have handled many traumatic car injury cases for our clients in the Humble, TX area. Such accidents seem particularly tragic when they take their toll on innocent young children who had no part in causing the car accident. Children suffer disproportionately from car accident injuries and fatalities, particularly as pedestrians.

A small child’s body stands no chance against a powerful metal passenger vehicle. We’re just glad that this unfortunate 10-year-old boy suffered only a leg injury, and we hope the injury is one that can heal and won’t affect him for the rest of his life.

If your child has been injured by a car, we could help you recover the financial compensation you might need to help pay for the child’s expenses from the devastating event. Kindly give us a call at (877) 307-9500. We could answer your questions about the car injury, and help you understand your legal options in the matter. Call at your convenience. We stand ready to help.

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