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What factors could cause a pedestrian accident?

On Behalf of | May 16, 2018 | Car Accidents

Pedestrian accidents are not uncommon events, and all too often, they have fatal outcomes. Thousands of individuals die in these incidents every year, and even more suffer severe injuries. You may have known someone who was involved in such an incident, and because you and your loved ones do walk to your destinations on occasion, you may worry about being involved in an accident yourself or hearing news of a loved one’s death.

The manner in which a pedestrian accident occurs can have an impact on whether the injured party or a deceased victim’s family could be entitled to compensation. Therefore, you may want to better understand the many factors that could contribute to these incidents.

Contributing pedestrian factors

When some individuals hear that a pedestrian has been injured or killed by a vehicle, they may automatically consider the driver at fault. However, people on foot may carry out unsafe actions that could put them in harm’s way, and in some cases, drivers may not have the ability to avoid an accident. Some actions taken by pedestrians that could contribute to accidents include:

  • Suddenly running into the road in front of vehicles
  • Disrupting the flow of traffic by walking into the road
  • Attempting to cross streets in areas without crosswalks
  • Not waiting for the “walk” signal at crosswalks

This list does not represent every action that a pedestrian could take that may contribute to an accident.

Contributing driver factors

Of course, if you or a loved one suffers injuries in a vehicle-pedestrian accident, a driver may have been at fault. Some factors that could place liability on a driver include:

  • Distracted driving
  • Drug or alcohol impairment
  • Failing to accommodate for weather or traffic
  • Failing to follow traffic signs or signals
  • Failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
  • Speeding
  • Not using a turn signal

Again, this is not an exhaustive list of every factor that could lead to a driver causing a pedestrian accident.

If you suffered serious injuries or lost a loved one in such an event where authorities considered the driver at fault, you may have reason to seek compensation for resulting damages. Information on personal injury or wrongful death claims could help you understand your legal options for taking such action.

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