A general rule states A MOTORIST HAS A DUTY to have his vehicle under control to AVOID INJURY TO PEDESTRIANS AT ALL TIMES.

It is hard to imagine a pedestrian-car accident. It is simply frightening to gauge the impact of a hard, full metal vehicle body on a soft and fragile human body. This is exactly why there are laws and regulations, designed to protect pedestrians. Vehicles have the obligation to yield to pedestrians and practice all necessary precautions to avoid hitting pedestrians.

Here’s a general definition of a pedestrian (involved in an accident), as provided in a Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, released by the Department of Transportation in 2012:
“A pedestrian is any person on foot, walking, running, jogging, hiking, sitting or lying down who is involved in a motor vehicle traffic crash.”

A Pedestrian Safety Report, released by the CDC in 2012, provided some important statistics on pedestrian accidents:

• 14% of traffic fatalities and about 3% of those injured in traffic crashes were pedestrians.
• A pedestrian is injured every 7 minutes.
• A pedestrian dies every 2 hours.
• A pedestrian is 1.5 times more likely than occupants of passenger vehicles to be killed in a car crash on each trip.
• 9% of pedestrian accident injuries involved pedestrians, aged 65 years and older.
• 20% of pedestrian accident fatalities are pedestrians, aged 65 years and older.
• Children, aged 15 and younger, accounted for 6% of all pedestrian fatalities.
• 34% of pedestrians killed suffered from alcohol intoxication.

Know that a pedestrian’s negligence does not prevent him/her from being awarded with financial compensation for the injuries suffered.

If you or a relative or a friend have been injured in a pedestrian accident, the wisest thing to do is hire the services of a lawyer with specialist knowledge and has prior experience in personal injury cases, such as pedestrian accidents. The Cook Law Office personal injury lawyers are fully prepared to work on building and strengthening your case, so you can be fully compensated for the injuries you sustained.

We know it is simply impossible to equate money with your pain and suffering, but the compensation you will receive will allow you to continue living life in the best way possible, despite the injuries.