Many of us can remember a time when walking down the street was relatively safe. As long as you were careful what neighborhood you were walking in and at what time of the day, you were reasonably assured of making it to your destination safely. Now, all you have to do it open a newspaper or click on the Internet and there is bound to be a story about another pedestrian being struck by a vehicle. For example, Khuong Nguyen was injured by an out of control Jeep in the parking lot of an Orange County, California hotel on the night of March 5, 2010 while he was walking across the parking lot. That same night, in San Diego, California, 18 year old Steven Kelley was killed after being struck by two vehicles while he was crossing El Camino Real. The first driver did not stop at the scene of the accident. The second driver, who stayed at the scene and phoned 911, was not able to stop in time and also struck Kelley. The next day a woman telephoned police to say that she might have been responsible for hitting Kelley but didn’t realize it at the time. Just three days later, two teenage girls were crossing the street in San Francisco on the evening of March 8, 2010 when they were struck by a maroon van that failed to stop at the scene of the accident. Police have since made an arrest in this incident.
These are just three examples of tragic pedestrian accidents that happened within a three day period! While all three are still under investigation, initial reports on all three indicate that the victims were not doing anything out of the ordinary and certainly were not to blame for the accidents. The two teenage girls, for instance, were apparently crossing in a marked crosswalk. The United States appears to have a fairly large problem with pedestrian accidents. Each year, over 5,000 people are killed in pedestrian accidents and another 65,000 are injured. What does that statistic mean? It means that during the time it is taking you to read this article, another pedestrian has been hit and injured. Additionally, over 10% of all fatalities associated with motor vehicle accidents are actually pedestrians that are killed. This means that for every ten vehicle accidents, a pedestrian is involved and killed in one. That is a shockingly high number. So who is at fault for all these pedestrian accidents? Most of the time the driver of the vehicle is found to be at fault.
Pedestrian accident attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates point to California Vehicle Code Section 21950 that states “The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection…”. While the pedestrian is still required to use “due care”, the law makes it clear that vehicles are intended to watch out for pedestrians. If you, or a family member, have been involved in a pedestrian accident, you may be entitled to compensation for any injuries that you have suffered as a result. Consult with an experienced California pedestrian accident attorney for an evaluation of your specific case as soon as possible. Pedestrians should not have to worry about their safety simply because they are walking across the street. Likewise, if someone else is responsible for injuries that you suffered, then they should have to compensate you for those injuries.
Contact the law offices of Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates today for a consultation at 1-800-300-0001 or visit him online at www.ledgerlaw.com
