Cars are easy. You can get in them at any time and drive them to your destination. Cars are personalized and make you feel safe. When you don’t have the option of a car or public transportation, what do you do? You walk. Pedestrians have certain rights. Our Pedestrian Accident Attorneys at Compass Law Group, LLP knows all too well the tragic stories of pedestrians in our community. We have worked with clients whose injuries were minor to catastrophic. The common factor of each case is a car was not driving reasonably or with proper caution.
When you are walking you are exposed to all the elements. If it is raining you will get soaking wet. If it is windy you will get blown around. If it is sunny you will get sunburned. Mind you some of these things can happen while you are in a vehicle, but not to the extent as a person walking. If something were to hit you while you were walking your whole body would be affected. If you were in a car and hit, only certain parts of your body would be affected and not to the extent of a pedestrian. Pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely to be killed when hit than a car crash. In most recent data, in 2015 around 5,376 people died while walking.
There are three main risk factors for pedestrians. These factors increase the risk of a pedestrian getting hit. In fact, they are the factors that represent where most pedestrians get killed:
- Urban areas: bust cities are bustling with people and cars. Adding them together can create some chaos, accidents, and injury. Sometimes being a busy place doesn’t mean drivers are less distracted. If you are walking in an urban environment be sure to make eye contact with drivers when using crosswalks to ensure that they see you.
- Non-intersection locations: Not all crosswalks come with signals, but that doesn’t mean that as a pedestrian you don’t have the right of way. Pedestrians have the right to walk and cars have the obligation to yield when pedestrians are walking lawfully.
- Nighttime: If drivers aren’t paying attention during the day, do you think they are doing it at night? Walking at night is a big risk factor. Especially, when you are walking in a poorly lit area. If you have to walk at night then make sure you are wearing brightly colored clothes or with a buddy.
What To Do
If you or someone you love was injured while walking it is important to seek legal assistance. Our Torrance Pedestrian Accident Attorneys at Compass Law Group, LLP can ensure that the person responsible is held accountable. Injuries take time to heal and that means less time to work. You not only need money for medical bills but your regular bills too. Our Torrance Pedestrian Accident Attorneys at Compass Law Group, LLP will make sure you are taken care of.
