But, not all lawyers are ambulance chasers. I have attorneys in my family and none of them chase down accidents. They are conservatives, but wouldn't turn down a good case. As for the brakes, I worked in a bicycle plant for nearly 25 years and put brakes on bikes for a few of those years. If the cable is not pulled tight enough, the brakes won't work. It it's pulled too tight, they won't work. If the small screw isn't tight, the cable will come out, and not necessarily on the first few rides. I assume the kid hit the brakes hard and the cable slipped. It happens often, and luckily, one of us or the inspectors generally caught it. Evidently, no one caught this one, and an accident occurred. Deaths have occurred from bicycle crashes, so I do know the dangers.
I prefer to see how the suit comes out. Walmart has the money, so I'd bet on them winning. To be fair to Walmart, I don't think their assemblers have anything to do with putting on the brakes, since most brakes are already attached to the frames when they [Walmart] receive the bikes. If anything, Walmart will have minimal blame.
I bought a 10 speed from walmart "assembled" a few years back. The brake pads were loose, off the rim and cock-eyed and not adjusted. Nothing I did not know how to fix since I was 7 years old. Buyer beware!