I had the same thing happen to me when I was driving my car down our street and a little girl, about 8 years old darted out from a side street. I was on the correct side of the street when she came out of nowhere. I was going below the speed limit when I saw her and slammed on my brakes. She smashed into my windshield and bounced off the car. Luckily she only broke her collar bone. The insurance company and police both said it was her fault and her family had to pay for all damages. This is a picture of how hard she hit my windshield, almost came thru it.
The only part that I don't like about the article is when they say "the minivan mowed her down". They certainly could have choosen better wording. That makes it sound like he intended to hit her, which I doubt that he did. It's always tragic when something like this happens, but it will keep happening until parents decide to teach their children the dangers of streets.