How to Avoid Pedestrian Accidents

Contact Us Today if You Were Involved in a Pedestrian Accident

In 2017, 5,977 pedestrians died because of accidents with cars. For those wondering, that equates to one death every 88 minutes. Basically, one person dies every hour and a half because of getting hit by a car. Meanwhile, an additional 137,000 pedestrians must visit the emergency room because of an accident. If this has happened to you or someone you love, you need to speak with a Los Angeles law firm for pedestrian accidents. Accidents with pedestrians can be severe on both sides of the equation as drivers and passengers of the vehicle have suffered horrible injuries as well as the pedestrian.

Most Common Injuries

Some of the most common injuries that people suffer in a pedestrian accident include:

• Head injuries
• Internal injuries
• Pelvic injuries
• Lacerations
• Spinal cord injuries
• Death

The speed of the driver, the type of vehicle driven, the age of the pedestrian and his health all play a role in how injured he will get in an accident like this. This has become such a prevalent problem that you have laws for getting hit by a car. They specialize in it. In fact, you have a special branch of this known as a pedestrian hit and run law.

How Drivers Can Avoid Hitting Pedestrians

In areas with a lot of pedestrians, you can lower your risk of getting into an accident by slowing down. This gives you more time to react in the event that a pedestrian came running out in front of you. When you hire a Los Angeles pedestrian accident attorney, they will often tell you how even a little slower speed can mean the difference between hitting a pedestrian and missing them.

The other thing that you can do is to make eye contact with pedestrians as they cross the street. As a pedestrian, this lowers your risk that you will get hit by a car because you make sure that the driver sees you. For drivers, it lowers the risk that you don’t see them.

Pay Careful Attention to School Buses

For breaking the rules with school buses, you could pay anywhere from $115 up to $695. Especially children, they don’t always look both ways before they cross a street, and if you fail to see them, it can lead to catastrophe. When the school bus stop sign arm rolls out, wait patiently behind it. Children don’t always do what you expect, and they could dart off a bus before you have the chance to stop. The scenario arises enough that laws exist to get people to stop.

Don’t Drive Distracted

This means stop texting, get off the phone and pay attention to the road. Pedestrian deaths have reached all-time highs because of how drivers have more technology to distract them than ever before. As a pedestrian, you should pay as much attention. Many stories have been posted online where someone crossed the road without paying attention, or they even walked right into a pole.

Don’t Race around the Car up Ahead

Let’s say that the car ahead of you stopped. You may feel this sudden urge to turn the wheel into the passing lane and try to pass. As a pedestrian injury law firm, we have seen too many cases where someone tried to pass the car up ahead, and they struck a pedestrian in the process. When you rush in a car, you increase your chances of an accident, and you make it more dangerous for everyone else on the road. Not only do you risk getting a speeding ticket from a cop, but you have a much higher risk that you would strike a pedestrian. As a Los Angeles traffic accident attorney, we have seen it many times where someone rushed for a meeting or gathering, and they were injured in the process.

Don’t Drive under the Influence

Driving under the influence can have serious negative consequences. Drunk driving accidents have resulted in as much as $44 million in economic damages each year, and you have a much higher likelihood that you will fail to see the pedestrian. Not only that, but you have a higher likelihood that you would do a hit and run under the influence. A hit and run lawyer in Los Angeles can represent you, but you could still face up to four years in prison for an accident like this.

Never Expect Drivers to See You

The biggest mistake that you can ever make as a pedestrian is to assume that the driver sees you when turning. Wait until the vehicle comes to a full stop. For whatever reason, people don’t wait that extra 10 to 15 seconds, but getting hit by a car can change your life for the worse.

Look around Stopped Vehicles

Never assume that just because one of the vehicles stopped means that the others will stop. You have to pay attention to many moving parts to stay safe. As a pedestrian, one of the worst things that you can do is to rush yourself. We said this above but from the perspective of the driver.
Having an experienced attorney on hand can help you to examine the evidence to determine who was to blame. Many times, insurance companies hire adjusters to investigate the scene of the accident. Both sides hire an adjuster. They examine the damage, the police report, medical reports and they verify the details to determine fault. In some cases a percentage gets assigned, but the Los Angeles personal injury attorney presents the evidence to determine the value of a claim from a pedestrian car accident.