Pedestrian Hit by Car

Defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a pedestrian is any person on foot, walking, running, jogging, hiking, sitting or lying down who is involved in a motor vehicle traffic crash. According to the NHTSA, pedestrians were one of the few groups of road users that experienced an increase in fatalities in 2011, amounting to 4,432 deaths.

While people’s preferences differ in regards to transportation, pedestrians are considered to be road users. The longtime saying goes that the “pedestrian always has the right-of-way” and this is both true and essential to preventing car-pedestrian accidents and fatalities.

Pedestrians are Road Users

The most recent traffic data from 2012 states that there were 4,743 pedestrians killed and around 76,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic accidents. These statistics equate to a pedestrian being killed in a crash every 2 hours and one being injured every 7 minutes. With such a high rate of accidents between pedestrians and vehicles, our personal injury attorneys believe it is extremely important to share safety tips that may help prevent future accidents from occurring.

Safety Tips for Pedestrians

• If a sidewalk is not available, walk facing traffic as far from the lanes of traffic as possible – it is important to see oncoming traffic so you can react
• Look at the eyes of the person driving the car – if they aren’t looking at you, you need to be extra careful
• When crossing a street, do so at a corner and use traffic safety signals and crosswalks whenever possible
• Look left, right, and left again when crossing the road; continue to watch for traffic as you’re crossing the street
• Act with extra caution at intersections where there is an increased risk for drivers to fail to yield properly and give the right-of-way to pedestrians
• If on a busy street, wear bright colors that help motorists to see you
• Act with caution when crossing driveways and side-streets as motorists may not expect to see you
• Be especially vigilant on one-way streets because most drivers are apt to only look one way
• Supervise young children as motorists may find them more difficult to see

Car-Pedestrian Accidents

While it is the responsibility of the motorists to allow pedestrians the right-of-way and to prevent accidents, our car accident attorneys hope that by sharing the above tips, future accidents can be prevented.

For those pedestrians who have been involved in an accident with a car, we highly recommend contacting a car accident attorney. Oftentimes the accident is caused by a motorist’s failure to pay proper attention to the roadway, resulting in them causing an accident with a pedestrian.

By hiring a car accident attorney, an injured pedestrian will be able to seek compensation for their injuries under the guidance of an experienced legal professional. An attorney with experience in this practice area will know all of the proper steps to take to ensure that a favorable settlement is rewarded. To speak to a car accident attorney at our office about your accident, call 419.841.4400. You will be able to review your accident and injuries with attorney Charlie Contrada and learn the legal steps that you should take in pursuing a claim.