Accidents where pedestrians get hit by a motor vehicle driver or a motorcyclist are more common than you might think. In the U.S., thousands of pedestrians are hit by motor vehicles every year, resulting in nearly 5,000 deaths. Pedestrian accidents don't only happen to people crossing a road without using a crosswalk or only to children. People who practice safe habits are also in danger when drivers are not paying attention to the road. A car weighing several thousand pounds can seriously harm or kill a pedestrian even at very low speeds.
The causes of pedestrian accidents when a driver is at fault include:
- Speeding;
- Failing to come to stop at a traffic light and sign;
- Failing to stop prior to turning right on a red light at an intersection;
- Inattentiveness because of cell phones, changing the radio or talking;
- Driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs;
- Disregarding a crosswalk;
- Turning onto a street without looking;
- Failing to use turn signals;
- Passing a school bus;
- Not watching for children in neighborhoods, near parks or at schools.
They may be changing the radio, eating and talking, or texting on a cell phone. When drivers take their eyes off the road, they increase the odds of a serious collision with a pedestrian. Victims of pedestrian accidents are at a high risk for fractured bones, spinal injury, head injury, brain injury, disfigurement and permanent disability. Survivors of pedestrian car accidents can also suffer from severe anxiety and lasting trauma. If you or someone you love has been injured in a pedestrian accident, you may be entitled to money for pain and suffering, money for lost wages, money for medical expenses, money for permanent injury, money for scarring and disfigurement and many other benefits. You should not have to bear those costs. If you have been seriously injured when you were hit by a negligent car or truck driver, allow me to get you the compensation you deserve. I work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing up-front and only pay legal fees after a settlement or verdict is negotiated or awarded.