Collisions involving pedestrians and vehicles often lead to catastrophic injuries. Pedestrian accidents can be extremely challenging and they require a special set of skills in order to obtain the recovery that many of our clients need and (rightfully) expect. A personal injury lawyer representing clients that have been seriously injured as a pedestrian must be aggressive and experience. When you retain a personal injury attorney after a pedestrian accident, you can rest assured that you and your case will receive the attention and personal care that you deserve.
According to the Insurance Journal, “The number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents is expected to have risen by as much as 10 percent when final 2015 statistics are available. That would be the biggest increase ever recorded.” If you need a pedestrian accident lawyer in Macon, Georgia, contact The Sessions Law Firm can help. Unfortunately, one of the most dangerous activities engage in is running and walking. If you travel through downtown Macon or any other city, you will inevitably see people running along the sidewalks or roadways and having awkward interactions with drivers that fail to yield to runners or even look out for runners at all.
How Frequently Are Walkers and Runners Hit by Cars?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has compiled a lot of data on the relative dangers associated with walking or running as compared to driving:
In 2012, 4,743 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States, and another 76,000 pedestrians were injured.1 This averages to one crash-related pedestrian death every 2 hours, and a pedestrian injury every 7 minutes. Pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to be killed in a car crash on each trip.
There are certain factors that highly correlate with pedestrian accidents. Older people and young children are much more likely to be involved in accidents as pedestrians.
Also, the presence of alcohol in either the automobile driver or the pedestrian increases the probability of an accident involving a pedestrian:
Alcohol involvement for the driver or the pedestrian was reported in 48% of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian death. Where alcohol involvement was reported, 34% of pedestrians killed had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of greater than or equal to .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) and 14% of drivers had a BAC of greater than or equal to .08 g/dL.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has placed an increased emphasis on keeping our roadways safer for pedestrians. However, most of their campaign is simply focused upon the steps that pedestrians can take to avoid cars and trucks. For example:
However, one of the problems that we are continually seeing is that motorists simply do not maintain a proper lookout for motorists or are driving at a speed that does not allow them to react to pedestrians. The pedestrian accident lawyers at The Sessions Law Firm can help you if you have been involved in an accident with an automobile while you were walking or running.
Do drivers have the obligation to yield to pedestrians?
This is the Georgia statute that controls the duty of drivers to yield to pedestrians:
The driver of a vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, or when the pedestrian is approaching and is within one lane of the half of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning. For the purposes of this subsection, “half of the roadway” means all traffic lanes carrying traffic in one direction of travel.
O.C.G.A. § 40-6-91.
What Can Walkers or Runners Do to Help Avoid Being Involved in An Accident with An Automobile?
The statistics certainly show an increase in the number of pedestrian deaths resulting from accidents involving automobiles in 2015. However, why the increase occurred has yet to be fully explained. It appears that there are a number of factors contributing to the increase, such as a transition toward urban centers for living and an increase in the number of walkers and bicyclists. Additionally, walkers, runners, and bicyclists alike must remain vigilant in their lookout for drivers, particularly drivers of buses and commercial trucks.
Your Pedestrian Accident Lawyer at The Sessions Law Firm Can Help
For pedestrians hit by cars, the injuries and most likely are catastrophic. If you need a pedestrian accident lawyer in Macon, Georgia, that understands how to help you put your life back together following an accident, contact The Sessions Law Firm today. Our pedestrian accident lawyers understand how to help. Call (478) 254-2665 now.
