Pedestrian Accidents in California
On Sept 10th near San Diego, California, a woman was crossing the street with some friends when she was struck down by a drunk driver. She was actually in the crosswalk when he hit her, but he was too drunk to see her. The woman arrived at the hospital with massive head injuries and two broken legs, among other injuries. Doctors knew the injuries she sustained in the accident were too extensive for her to survive, and within hours she was removed from life support. The autopsy showed that the impact of the car was so severe her brainstem had literally been severed. This woman was only in her 40s, and left behind a husband and two very devastated teenaged daughters. Witnesses at the scene told police they smelled alcohol on the driver of the vehicle. It was later reported that he had been drinking throughout the day, not surprising since his blood alcohol level well exceeded the legal limit.
Each year in California, thousands of innocent victims, most of them children and elderly people, are injured or killed as they attempt to do something as simple as cross the street. Pedestrian injury and death due to driver negligence is the cause of hundreds of traffic-related accidents each and every day in the United States. It is estimated that some 110,000 pedestrians are injured every year in the United States and almost 60,000 pedestrians are killed.
These numbers include people of all ages, but a sizeable number of fatalities included here are school aged children. Because pedestrians are so vulnerable and exposed, even a slow-moving vehicle can easily cause injury or death. Injuries sustained in these accidents are all too often severe or life threatening.
Pedestrian accident statistics for the year 2002 were as follows:
Over 4,800 pedestrians died in traffic-related accidents
Pedestrians were injured every 7 minutes in traffic accidents
68% of pedestrian fatalities were males
Over 71,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic-related accidents
Confusion and inattention are the two main reasons that accidents take place. Statistics highlight the problem of human error on the part of both pedestrians and motorists when it comes to unsafe travel practices. Statistics also show that males tend to have a higher occurrence of accidents, along with young people, smaller children, of course, and then the elderly.
This year, if the statistics are any indication at all, another 70,000 pedestrians could be injured in traffic-related accidents, and 5,000 more could die. We also know from statistics that nearly half of those deaths will occur between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m., when children are on their way home from school. As we saw from the scenario above, teaching them to stay in the crosswalks isn't always a guarantee of safety, either. Negligent drivers are on the roads all throughout the day, every day.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a pedestrian accident, or if you have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a reckless driver, contact a personal injury attorney today.
Back to pedestrian accidents
|
