Pedestrian Includes Those Who Are Wheelchair Bound

Before the car craze, people would walk everywhere. People walked to work, to get groceries, to school, and for leisure. People walked to get medicine or walked to hunt or fish. Walking was a favored past time and everyone was accustomed to seeing people who walk on paths. Nowadays people don’t walk. They choose to drive because they choose to go to destinations that require driving. Some choose to drive simply because they can. Our human behavior has changed from walking to driving a vehicle or choosing to get into a vehicle that someone else is driving.
Walking, of course, has its benefits, but walking has become more and more dangerous lately. A 2017 report from the Governors Highway Safety Association stated that nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed two years in a row. In our state of California, around 350 pedestrians were killed between January and June 2017. This ranks California as the 15th highest ranking of pedestrian deaths in the whole country. If you combine California pedestrian death tolls alongside Florida, Texas, New York, and Arizona, you can account for 43% of nationwide pedestrian deaths.
There are no known reports as to why pedestrians are getting hit more often. There is some speculation from the Governors Highway Safety Association that smartphone usage and increased use of marijuana may be a contributing factor to both distracted walkers and drivers, but there are no official studies to make the connection. A more startling statistic is that as pedestrian accidents are increasing, other car accidents are decreasing. Pedestrians are accounting for a larger percentage of accidents than any other traffic-related incidences. If you are choosing to walk then you truly are taking your life in your own hands.
This was the case of a woman who was struck while she was in her wheelchair riding along the side of the road. The woman in the wheelchair had often made the same commute and was known amongst the local community. The driver of a four-door sedan told police that they did not see the woman riding in her wheelchair until impact. Therefore, they were unable to stop in time to avoid hitting her. Even though it was an electronic wheelchair she is still considered a pedestrian. Those who knew her were in deep shock because they were familiar with her route. The woman was in a wheelchair because she was in a car accident years prior.

What To Do

If you or someone you love has been injured by a vehicle while walking please know that our Pedestrian Accident Attorneys at Compass Law Group are here to help you pick up the pieces of your now shattered reality. Even if your injuries are not that severe, enough is enough. Drivers need to learn how to take special attention to those who are walking around. Pedestrian accidents work like car accidents in the sense that insurance companies have ways of paying for injuries.

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