Traffic accidents endanger everyone who is involved in them, but pedestrians are the most vulnerable of all. When you are on foot, there is absolutely no buffer between you and the impact of an accident, and the injuries you sustain can be life-threatening. As distracted drivers continue to proliferate and other forms of driver negligence refuse to abate, pedestrian accidents continue to happen at far too great a rate. If a driver’s negligence leaves you injured in a pedestrian accident, turn to the professional legal counsel of an accomplished Los Angeles personal injury attorney.
When it comes to traffic accidents, pedestrians are at significant risk – as these statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrate:
There were nearly 6,000 pedestrian fatalities in 2017, which equates to 1 fatal pedestrian accident every 88 minutes.
In 2017, there were about 137,000 accidents that left pedestrians so injured they needed emergency care.
Pedestrians are one and a half times more likely – per trip – to be killed in traffic accidents than the occupants of vehicles are.
Forty-seven percent of fatal pedestrian accidents involve alcohol.
The faster a motorist is driving, the more likely it is that a pedestrian will be struck and the greater the chances that his or her injuries will be severe.
The majority of fatal pedestrian accidents happen in urban areas.
Pedestrians beware – negligent drivers put you at increased risk of being seriously injured or worse.
When you head out on foot, you are not only more difficult to see, but you are also almost completely defenseless against the immense impact created by a vehicle in a pedestrian accident (other than your ability to employ the rules of safe walking and to avoid accidents whenever possible). As such, you are extremely vulnerable to all of the following dangerous injuries:
Extremely serious injuries that are as exceptionally slow to heal as they are exceptionally painful. If the broken bone punctures the skin, it can also leave you vulnerable to serious infections. Bones that fail to heal properly can lead to secondary health concerns that can include chronic pain and even a permanent disability related to decreased range of motion and/or mobility.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is typically caused by a blow to the head or neck and/or by the violent shaking of the head, and the impact of pedestrian accidents easily fits the bill. Because they affect the brain, TBIs are exceptionally dangerous. Our brains house the essence of what makes each of us uniquely ourselves, and any degree of disruption can be devastating. While some TBIs cause temporary damage, others lead to permanent damage that is immensely difficult to overcome.
Can happen anywhere on the spinal cord, and they are commonly caused by a blow to the neck, shoulders, or back. These painful injuries can lead to a permanent loss in one’s range of motion and to debilitating chronic pain. When the injury is so serious that the spinal cord is severed, the victim suffers permanent paralysis in the area of the body that corresponds with the site of the spinal cord injury.
Pedestrian accidents tend to be exceptionally violent, and the victim can be thrown against an unyielding object, dragged across the ground, pinned between the vehicle and something else, and/or burned by the heat of the vehicle in the process. This makes pedestrians especially vulnerable to dangerous cuts, burns, and abrasions – all of which can lead to extremely serious infections and scarring. When a pedestrian is seriously cut or burned on or near the face, he or she can be permanently disfigured.
Driver negligence poses an even greater danger for pedestrians, and some of the most dangerous forms include:
Jonathan M. Kashani is the founder of Kash Legal Group, specializing in personal injury law with a commitment to providing personalized client services and high-quality legal representation. He holds a Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law and is admitted to practice in all state courts of California and the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident that was caused by a motorist’s negligence, the resourceful pedestrian injury attorneys at Kash Legal Group in LA are committed to using the full force of their considerable experience in their focused efforts to resolve your claim favorably. Our clients’ best interests always guide our work, so please don’t hesitate to contact or call us for more information today.
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