What is the Most Frequent Cause of Pedestrian Accidents?
The most frequent cause of pedestrian accidents is driver error. These mistakes cause more than 98 percent of the vehicle collisions in Texas. The two major kinds of driver error are outlined below. Regardless of the cause of the pedestrian accident, these victims usually sustain catastrophic (life-threatening) injuries. Pedestrians bear the full force of oncoming vehicles. No safety restraint or other systems protect them.
The economic losses in a catastrophic injury case, mostly lost wages and medical bills, average more than $150,000. A Sugar Land pedestrian accident lawyer obtains the compensation these victims need to pay these bills. An attorney also obtains compensation for emotional distress and other noneconomic losses, so these victims can move on with their lives.
Driver Error
Everyone makes mistakes. That’s part of life. In a perfect world, everyone would immediately and voluntarily accept responsibility for their mistakes. But we don’t live in a perfect world, which is why a Missouri City personal injury lawyer must get involved and compel tortfeasors (negligent drivers) to accept responsibility for their mistakes.
We all make all kinds of mistakes. But driving mistakes in Texas usually fall into one of the two following categories:
- Operator Impairment: The pandemic changes our lives in many ways. For example, because roads emptied and traffic enforcement dropped off, many people started drinking and driving. This bad habit, like so many others, has proven to be easy to form and hard to break. Other kinds of driver impairment include driving while sick or severely fatigued.
- Aggressive Driving: Speed is the most dangerous kind of aggressive driving for pedestrian victims. At impact speeds under 20mph, the pedestrian death rate is under 10 percent. At impact speeds above 40mph, the pedestrian death rate is 75 percent. Furthermore, when people otherwise drive aggressively, like turning illegally, they aren’t watching out for defenseless pedestrians.
Frequently, a Missouri City personal injury lawyer holds a third party, like an employer, responsible for pedestrian accident damages. Delivery driver pedestrian crashes are a good example.
Most pedestrian accident claims settle out of court. These resolutions benefit victims in many ways, primarily because they’re final resolutions. A defendant cannot tie up a settlement in appeals courts, at least in most cases.
Non-Driver Error
Occasionally, drivers do everything right and still strike pedestrians. Non-driver error pedestrian accident causes include defective products and defective roadways.
Defective tires are the most common defective products on Texas vehicles. If tires unexpectedly blow out, even the best drivers usually lose control of their vehicles. Generally, manufacturers are strictly liable for the injuries their defective products cause.
Defective road cases are more complex. It’s true that most streets in Southeast Texas weren’t designed with pedestrians in mind. Most streets have wide vehicle lanes, short red lights, and narrow sidewalks. However, governmental immunity applies in many cases, meaning that the people who designed these roads cannot be held responsible for their mistakes in court.
Sometimes, pedestrians cause pedestrian accidents. They don’t stop and look both ways. However, Texas is a comparative fault state. Drivers have a duty of reasonable care to avoid accidents, no matter what someone else does. Therefore, these victims may still be eligible for compensation.
Count on a Hard-Working Fort Bend County Attorney
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Missouri City, contact the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.
Source:
drivethru.gsa.gov/DRIVERSAFETY/DistractedDrivingPosterA.pdf
