Did you know that pedestrian fatalities increased by 60%, from 2,141 in 2013 to 3,434 in the first half of 2022, a total of roughly 1,300 extra lives lost? If you’re not in a car and get hit by a car, you’ve been in a pedestrian accident. Whether you are strolling to and from work, taking a stroll about the neighborhood, or making your way from the automobile in the parking lot to the front door of a store, you are a pedestrian at some point. The high incidence of accidents means that walking, while healthy, inexpensive, and environmentally good, is not necessarily safe. However, if you get involved in an accident, a pedestrian accident attorney can help calculate how much you are rightfully entitled to and fight for your full compensation.
Factors Contributing To Pedestrian Accidents
How come more pedestrians are being killed on American roads? Several factors contribute to this problem, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), including:
- Careless driving has increased since before the outbreak and shows no signs of abating.
- Bigger, weightier automobiles with greater potential for causing significant injury or death to pedestrians in the case of a collision.
- Roads constructed with high-speed vehicles in mind rather than slower, pedestrian-friendly speeds.
- Insufficient lighting, crosswalks, and sidewalks in many regions of the country.
Ensuring The Safety Of Pedestrians
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) supports an integrated strategy modeled on the Safe System approach outlined in the US Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS). The five parts of this approach create a safety net with many layers that can protect you and other road users, including:
- Safe road users: Ensuring pedestrians are well educated on the importance of being careful and vigilant.
- Safe cars: Ensuring top-tier quality cars on the roads to avoid fatalities caused by unworthy vehicles.
- Safe speeds: Implementing speed limits on pedestrian-concentrated areas.
- Safe roads: Construction of crosswalks and sidewalks and ensuring sufficient lighting.
- Care after a crash: Ensuring speedy response to emergency cases to provide medical assistance to pedestrians.
What To Do In Case Of A Pedestrian Accident
When you are involved in a pedestrian accident, your top priorities should be safety and the quickest recovery possible. Get to a safe place and dial 911 if necessary. It’s important to call in help and file a complaint after an incident like this. Be sure to swap insurance and contact details with the other party. Ask anyone who witnessed the accident to stay and provide statements to the police.
If you’ve been hit by a car, take pictures of the scene, the driver, the vehicle, and any evidence you find, such as skid tracks or broken lights and signals. If you’ve been hit, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, damages, and lost income. Most claims involve recovering money for legal fees and property damage, which a pedestrian accident attorney can help you with.
After keeping track of your medical bills and other losses associated with the accident, you can demand compensation from the at-fault driver. Before deciding anything about a criminal case or an insurance claim, talk to a pedestrian accident attorney specializing in foot accidents. Before you agree to a settlement amount after an accident, talk to a pedestrian accident attorney about the details of your case and the state laws that apply.