Pedestrian accidents often have a terrible ending. Not only can a pedestrian sustain devastating injuries when hit by a vehicle or bike, but others involved can also be harmed. Both pedestrians and drivers have a duty of care that must be exercised at all times. This is to help ensure that everyone remains safe and injury-free. Unfortunately, however, both drivers and pedestrians fail to uphold these duties too often, which usually results in serious injuries. Below, our Honolulu pedestrian accident attorney discusses the main causes of pedestrian accidents and what you can do to prevent them.
Causes of Pedestrian Accidents
First and foremost, sometimes pedestrians do play a role in causing accidents. For example, pedestrians can cause accidents when they fail to use crosswalks or observe walk signals at intersections. Also, some pedestrians make reckless choices, like darting out in front of a vehicle to get across the street. These actions can all cause pedestrian accidents and the pedestrian will likely carry all or part of the liability for causing the accident.
However, a handful of common causes of pedestrian accidents also focus on the behaviors of drivers. Drivers often cause pedestrian accidents when they exhibit these behaviors:
- Distracted driving
- Driving while intoxicated
- Aggressive driving
- Failing to yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks
- Failing to observe traffic signals
- Speeding
- Failure to signal when turning
- Failure to adjust driving to adverse weather or traffic conditions
When and where are pedestrian accidents more likely to occur?
In some instances, both a driver and pedestrian may cause an accident. For example, the majority of pedestrian accidents happen at night. This is because it’s dark out and, if there is poor lighting in the area, pedestrians are difficult to see. Or if a driver fails to account for the limited visibility, and a pedestrian wears dark clothes, fails to make themselves visible or fails to watch out for traffic, then a pedestrian accident is more likely to occur.
Also, many pedestrian accidents occur at crosswalks in intersections, and this is because a lot of activity occurs at once. For instance, some drivers are making left-hand turns. While drivers are busy looking elsewhere, they may turn and fail to look at who is in the crosswalk. Using signaled crosswalks can reduce the risk of a pedestrian accident, however, pedestrians should still be vigilant because sometimes drivers are not paying attention.
If you are involved in a pedestrian accident, call the police right away and stay at the scene until help arrives. If you can, take pictures and get the names and contact information of any witnesses to the accident. Seek medical attention right away and get the care you need to properly address any injuries you may have.
Honolulu Pedestrian Accident Attorney
If you were injured in a pedestrian accident, you are likely to have sustained serious injuries that will have lasting consequences for your health and financial well-being. Cummings Law will help get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Contact us today. You will be glad you did.
