Pedestrian Accidents

The number of accidents involving pedestrians has actually declined since 1975, but the stats are still too high. In 2001, pedestrians were involved in 12 percent of accidents nationally, but accounted for 85% of non-occupant fatalities. Texas has the second highest number of pedestrian fatalities - Florida has the highest - with 449 pedestrians killed in 2001, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report. But what makes this really startling is that the report also finds that older people tend to be more likely involved in pedestrian accidents. Florida has the highest percentage of 65+ residents, while Texas is in the top five youngest states in the country.

Half of the accidents are directly due to driver negligence including driving too fast, driving while impaired, failure to give right of way, and improper lane changes. About 18% of all pedestrian accidents are hit-and-runs. Almost two-thirds of accidents occur on city roads, and nearly half occur in the six hours between 6pm and midnight.

Pedestrian accidents are often result in the most serious of injuries, for obvious reasons. In fact, the Texas Department of State Health Services lists reducing pedestrian accidents as one of its key goals in its statewide injury prevention plan. Because of the lack of protection people have against moving vehicles, injury can occur at very slow speeds. Broken legs are a common injury because of the positioning of the bumper on most vehicles. And the higher the speed, the higher the chance of catastrophic injury or death.

So what do you do if you are involved pedestrian accident, or if you witness an accident?

1. First, do not tell the driver it is alright to leave. If the driver asks if you are okay, ask him or her to call the police and medical emergency. It is common not to feel pain immediately after a minor accident because some injuries like neck strain may not appear until a day or two later. Also, if you are in shock, you are less likely to feel or identify any pain.
2. If the driver does try to leave, request his or her driver's license and insurance information. If the driver refuses, at the very least get the make, model, and license plate of the vehicle.
3. Seek medical attention and report the accident to the police, if none were at the scene. Make sure you get detailed information from the accident report and your medical report.
4. Contact Jim S. Adler & Associates. We have over 30 years of experience helping personal injury victims like you, including pedestrians hit by careless, reckless drivers. If you have been injured by a vehicle, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, pain, and suffering. Submit a case report with us right now, and we will help you get the settlement you deserve.

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