A disturbing hit-and-run pedestrian car accident that occurred recently in Newport News, Virginia (VA) reminds us that walking or jogging along the road can be dangerous. In this case the car accident seems to be intentional, the driver slowly followed the woman then turned and hit her, but most times it is not. In many pedestrian car accidents the driver doesn’t even see the pedestrian until it’s too late. This can be because of driver distraction, fatigue or a drunk or drugged driver.
A little known fact is that since 2009, pedestrian fatalities have actually been rising. This means that as riding in cars has gotten safer being a pedestrians have grown more dangerous. Pedestrian car accidents now represent a larger share of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. According to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, this suggests a pedestrian is killed in America in a traffic crash every two hours, and injured every eight minutes. Twenty-one percent of children aged 10-15 who die in traffic crashes actually weren’t in the car – they were pedestrians.
If you think staying on a sidewalk or crosswalk will keep you safe, think again. Our personal injury law firm, Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp settled one case of serious personal injury for two pedestrians who were crossing a road in a painted, marked crosswalk in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). In that case, the driver who struck the pedestrians failed to see them even though they were in the marked crosswalk. Virginia traffic law states that a pedestrian in the crosswalk essentially must be treated as if it were a traffic light with a red signal because motorists are clearly required to yield to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk. We have represented pedestrians who have suffered serious injuries in a wide variety of pedestrian-car accidents. If you or a family member are ever involved in a crosswalk injury situation, contact an experienced personal injury attorney for advice as early as possible.
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