Opinion ID: 2444387
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Hudson darts in front of Dennis's car

Text: On a clear morning, July 12, 2000, 12-year-old Hudson, rode his bicycle around his parents' driveway onto Murray Road, a narrow tree-lined road with grass shoulders. Hudson's parents planned to drive to the end of the driveway, and then follow behind him in the van as he rode to his grandfather's house about a mile away. Hudson planned to cross the street and wait for his parents on the opposite side of the country road. Meanwhile, Hudson's fourteen year-old brother, Michael, was driving a riding lawn mower around the yard with his two year-old brother, Skyler, on his lap. At this time, Dennis drove eastbound on Murray Road in a 1987 Chrysler station wagon owned by Millsboro Auto Mart, Inc. Eastbound traffic was light and there was no westbound traffic in this 45 mile-per-hour speed zone. Approximately one half mile from Hudson's driveway, Dennis passed a visible Children Playing sign. Dennis testified that as she rounded the bend, approximately 450-600 feet from Hudson's driveway, she noticed children at the end of the Hudson's driveway. Dennis proceeded down the straight stretch of road towards the Hudsons' driveway, traveling between 35-40 miles per hour. As Dennis approached the end of the driveway, Hudson suddenly entered the road in front of Dennis's car. Dennis swerved to the left, but her front right bumper struck his bicycle. Hudson somersaulted over the handlebars, fell onto the ground, and suffered closed head injuries, cognitive deficits, and neuropsychological damage. [1]