The 15-month-old child of Mixed Martial Arts fighter Marcus Kowal was pronounced brain dead last Sunday. The toddler was struck while riding in his stroller earlier this month by a 72-year-old female suspected of driving while under the influence of alcohol. The baby boy was hit in his stroller while with his teenage aunt inside a crosswalk.
Kowal posted on social media news about his toddler’s condition, saying that his son tried to fight, but medical tests indicated brain death at a certain point. He said that the tragedy left a void in his soul and the family planned to donate the boy’s organs.
When emergency responders arrived at the scene, the baby’s 15-year-old aunt was found with leg injuries, and the boy was unconscious in his stroller without a pulse and no longer breathing. CPR was administered, and the baby was rushed to the hospital.
The 72-year-old driver tried to flee the accident scene after hitting the two, but witnesses successfully blocked her path with their vehicles and stopped her until the arrival of New York City Police Department officers. She was then tested for sobriety and taken into custody on felony charges of drunk driving and hit-and-run. Police say that they will announce additional charges against the woman at a later time.
This extremely unfortunate incident has been brought to national attention because the father of the child is a celebrity in the MMA world. However, drunk drivers cause deaths, catastrophic injuries and mayhem every single day on California roads. Family members affected by drunk driving catastrophes can rest assured that they can pursue justice and restitution through personal injury claims relating to such accidents. Also, these kinds of claims will help send a message to potential drunk drivers that there will be serious consequences, both criminal and civil, to their unconscionable behaviors.
Source: New York Daily News, “MMA fighter Marcus Kowal’s toddler son dead after drunk driver, 72, mowed tot down,” Nancy Dillon, Sep. 05, 2016