Philadelphia is a wonderful walking city. It’s also a very busy city. Thus, although walking may be an ideal way to get from Point A to Point B in Philadelphia, pedestrians still need to be cautious. The chances of being harmed in a pedestrian accident tend to be greater when one is in a dense urban environment.
The following basic tips will help you minimize your chances of being harmed in a Philadelphia pedestrian accident. Keep them in mind whenever traveling through our city on foot.
This is a simple tip, but because it’s one that many ignore, it deserves to be repeated. Looking at your phone when navigating a busy city like Pennsylvania significantly increases your chances of being harmed in an accident.
It’s also important to understand that looking at your phone when walking around Philadelphia can have a negative impact on your chances of recovering satisfactory compensation if you ever are harmed in a pedestrian accident resulting from another party’s negligence. This is because Pennsylvania has a comparative negligence law. Under this law, the amount of compensation you may collect when filing a claim or lawsuit after an accident will be reduced based on the degree to which your own negligence played a role in you being injured.
For instance, perhaps you were walking across the street when a driver exceeding the speed limit hit you. Although they were negligently speeding, if you were looking at your phone when the accident occurred, an insurance company could state that you were partially to blame for your accident.
Perhaps it’s determined that you are 20% responsible for your accident happening. If you would have been able to recover $10,000, now the most you will be able to recover is $8,000.
That doesn’t need to happen. When you’re walking around Philadelphia, step to the side in a safe place if you ever decide you need to check your phone.
You know that you should never get behind the wheel when you’ve had too much to drink. However, you might not realize that walking while drunk may be even more dangerous than driving while drunk.
That’s not to say you should drive home instead of walk home if you’re out at the bar one night and you realize you’re intoxicated. It means you should schedule an Uber or Lyft, call a taxi, or rely on another safe method of getting back home.
When you’re intoxicated, you can’t properly judge when it’s safe to cross the street. You also may struggle to walk in a straight line. An intoxicated person can easily stumble off the sidewalk and into the path of oncoming traffic, resulting in what may be a very severe accident.
It’s always best to walk on the sidewalk when you have the option to do so. That said, you may sometimes find yourself walking in areas without sidewalks.
In these situations, you should walk facing traffic. This will minimize your chances of being struck by a vehicle you didn’t know was coming because it was approaching from behind you.
Unfortunately, even pedestrians who apply basic safety tips are still sometimes harmed in accidents. If you have been injured as a pedestrian because a motorist was negligent, contact our Philadelphia pedestrian accident attorneys at Solomon, Sherman & Gabay. We will help you pursue the compensation for which you may be eligible. Contact us online or call us at 215-665-1100 to learn more.