When it comes to transportation or any form of traveling, walking has to be the best one of them all. Walking is the most natural and valuable mode of going from one place to another, and it's probably the mode that people should be using more nowadays.
Those environmentally conscious may walk to their destination and sacrifice time and effort without burning any gas. For those who plan on saving money, walking short distances instead of using cars is one way to do it. Even something as simple as taking a walk with someone is far better than driving with them. However, this doesn't change the fact that you may be the victim of a Pedestrian Accident.
By knowing the possible dangers of a pedestrian in the Texas area, you may want to consider hiring a Pedestrian Accident Attorney in Corpus Christi. Nevertheless, there are a few things you need to know about the prerequisites and processes of its legal cases.
A Pedestrian Accident?
Out of all the possible legal cases, a Pedestrian Accident is one of the easiest to define. By definition, this accident involves a pedestrian walking and a motor vehicle. Therefore, a car, van, or truck would collide with this pedestrian, causing harm to the pedestrian.
Nevertheless, there are cases where a car isn't the only one that could cause this accident. Sometimes, even bicycles can be subject to a legal issue of this nature. In addition, although it hasn't been seen as often, horses could also be the cause of some Pedestrian Accidents. Anything involving a pedestrian and the force of another causing any injury can be considered a Pedestrian Accident.
In regards to where these could happen, the possibilities are vast. These include parking lots, parks, sidewalks, or any place where people are walking. But, again, these things can happen anytime and anywhere.
Consider the Texas area alone as they represented one of every five traffic fatalities in 2016. Although the number seems insignificant, 678 pedestrians died because of these traffic accidents. When comparing this with the previous year's statistics, a 21.5% increase is shown in the number of casualties.
Causes?
You now know what determines an incident to be a Pedestrian Accident, and now you must go even further by understanding what causes these events. However, several events caused this unfortunate incident to happen.
Speeding
Much like what experts say on vehicular accidents, the car's speed determines the seriousness of the incident. For example, a car going 30 miles per hour will kill 40% of pedestrians. Those at 40 miles per hour will give 80% of these individuals fatal injuries, according to the country's Department of Transportation.
Failure To Yield
In simple terms, drivers must give way to pedestrians for many possible events. For one, crosswalks and intersections are just some of them. Failing to do so would probably lead to accidents, consequently leading to a Pedestrian Accident case.
As a driver, you all are responsible for looking for yellow signs, stoplights, and WALK signals. You also have the responsibility to be alert when driving in and out of parking spaces. Even if the pedestrian is visually impaired, drivers must look out for their safety.
Distractions & Visibility Troubles
There are also many different kinds of distractions when driving. These include cell phones, food and drinks, and even car accessories such as radios and GPS systems. Aside from these, these cases can be caused if the driver has trouble seeing. Most of these happen at night when visibility is lower than usual.
Alcohol
Texas is home to one of the highest numbers of cases associated with drunk driving. According to the Governor's Highway Safety Commission, 15% of those struck and fatally injured are caused by drunk drivers. They also found that a third of the pedestrians are killed by those who are legally intoxicated.
In other cases, some pedestrians under the influence of alcohol either walk on the road or sit or lie down, which could be dangerous for motorists.
Injuries?
There are several injuries that people can encounter when they find themselves in a Pedestrian Accident. However, these rely on the speed at which the car is going.
Slower speeds would result in bruises or minor fractures on your body. However, as the car goes faster, these lead to broken bones, internal injuries, paralysis, and even death. No matter what kind of effects these hold for you, the pedestrian, this is still worthy of filing a case.
What To Do?
After seeing the possible dangers that these Pedestrian Accidents could potentially cause, it would be wise to know what to do if one finds himself in one of these. But, of course, these are for people on-foot and not the motorists who probably caused an accident.
Medical Evaluation
As stated before, several injuries could happen to you if you're the victim of a Pedestrian Accident. Despite all of these, the effects also depend on the speed of the car. Whatever the nature of the accident is, this may still result in a physical or emotional impact.
Calling The Police
Naturally, the police should be summoned onto the scene if an accident of this nature has happened. However, things differ when it comes to the one who makes that call. Of course, you could leave it to the accident victim, but knowing the possible injuries that Pedestrian Accidents cause would be best to leave it to companions or passersby.
In reality, the second possibility is more likely to happen as the victim may be too physically or mentally affected by an accident. Nevertheless, the police are there to file an accident report describing the incident. Along with this report, a traffic enforcer on the scene may make statements and determine faults.
The Motorist's Insurance Information
Another essential part of these incidents is the taking of the motorist's insurance information. It would be unfair for the victims to pay for the damages of the incident. With the patient's condition alone, there could be some long-term effects to change one's life. Compensation is a requirement here.
What Comes Next?
With all of the possible effects and prerequisites, the next step in the process follows. This is finding the best Pedestrian Attorney attorney for you. The moment your medical evaluations, police reports, and other requirements are available, attorneys should be able to guide you through the legal case.
For many, these could be mentally draining to go through. Nevertheless, this is all for the justice and compensation all victims deserve.