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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that fatal traffic accidents involving pedestrians have increased to 6,283 deaths in 2018. A pedestrian accident involves any contact between a pedestrian and a motor vehicle. Because a pedestrian is the most vulnerable party in a pedestrian accident, the pedestrian will suffer serious and even fatal injuries after being struck by a vehicle. Even a motor vehicle that is traveling at ten miles or less has the ability to cause serious injuries to a pedestrian after striking the pedestrian.
Most of the causes of pedestrian accidents result in driver negligence. Drivers can be held negligent in pedestrian accidents when the driver’s careless behavior has been proven to be the cause of a pedestrian accident. Because a driver is legally required to take “reasonable care” when operating a motor vehicle, any action the driver takes that violates that “reasonable care” standard and results in harm or injury to another person can be deemed negligent.
There are some actions that drivers take that can result in the creation of a pedestrian accident. These actions include:
The group of pedestrians that are most at risk of being involved in a pedestrian accident is alcohol-impaired drivers and pedestrians, older adults, and children. When it comes to alcohol-impaired drivers and pedestrians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly half of fatal traffic accidents involving pedestrians involved alcohol for either the driver or the pedestrian.
When it comes to older adults and children, there were 20 percent of pedestrian deaths where there were pedestrians aged 65 and older. One in five children under the age of 15 has been killed in fatal traffic accidents with pedestrians in 2017.
Additional factors that contribute to a pedestrian accident include higher vehicle speeds and traveling in urban areas. As previously mentioned, a driver operating a motor vehicle can seriously injure a pedestrian by just traveling at ten miles or less. Higher speeds can increase the chances of a pedestrian being struck by a car and how severe the pedestrian’s injuries are. Other additional factors include the time of the day and the location of the accident. For example, pedestrian accidents increase in locations like non-intersection areas and at nighttime.
There are various types of injuries that a pedestrian can endure from a pedestrian accident. These injuries include:
It is terrifying to be a part of a pedestrian accident or receive news that a loved one was in a pedestrian accident. What is more terrifying is allowing anyone to represent you in court to receive just compensation. Contact a Delaware County pedestrian accident attorney at Solomon, Sherman & Gabay today to see how our attorneys can help you. Call us today at 215-665-1100 to schedule a free consultation.