Pedestrian Accidents – the Forgotten Threat

12 Oct Pedestrian Accidents – the Forgotten Threat

When most people think of car accidents they think of one car colliding with another in some fashion. Pedestrian accidents, where a vehicle runs into a person on foot, rarely come to mind. Amazingly, 11 percent of fatalities caused by motor vehicles involve pedestrians. In urban areas the incidence of pedestrian accidents is higher due to there being more traffic; however, in rural areas accidents involving pedestrians are more likely to be fatal due to excessive speed on rural roads.
While intersections might seem like a likely place for pedestrian accidents to occur, interestingly there are actually more of them in areas other than intersections because of increased speed and drivers not expecting someone walking on the road. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable, with children being at the highest risk but the elderly being the most likely to be involved in a fatal pedestrian accident. Injuries from motor vehicle accidents can be extremely serious and can include broken bones, spinal cord injury, coma, brain injury, paraplegia, quadriplegia and death.

Driver negligence and excessive speed are the biggest contributors to pedestrian accidents. While the rate of these accidents has been decreasing, it is still a very serious problem that kills thousands of people in the US every year. If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, make sure to consult a pedestrian accidents lawyer for proper legal assistance. A pedestrian accident attorney with full knowledge and experienced working with and around pedestrian accident law can help defend your loved one’s rights.