The Most Common Types Of Pedestrian Accidents In Florida

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 7,000 pedestrians lost their lives in collisions with vehicles in the U.S. in 2020, which breaks down to around one fatality every 75 minutes. This isn’t even the full extent of the damage caused by pedestrian accidents, as an estimated 104,000 other pedestrians were treated in the ER for non-fatal crash injuries the same year. These accidents took place in a variety of situations, but most occurred in a few specific types of pedestrian accidents, which we will discuss below.

Crosswalk Accidents

Many pedestrian accidents occur in crosswalks, either because a driver was careless or violated state traffic law. The latter are strict and require all drivers take certain action at crosswalks, including:

• Stopping before entering a crosswalk and remaining stopped to allow a pedestrian with a permitted signal to cross at intersections with traffic control signals;
• Stopping and remaining stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross when that person is already in, or is stepping into the crosswalk where traffics signs are present; and
• Yielding the right-of-way (by slowing down or stopping if required) to any pedestrians crossing the roadway at a crosswalk where there are no traffic signals or signage (i.e. an unmarked crosswalk).

Unfortunately, many drivers fail to abide by these rules, which puts pedestrians at great risk of injury. However, pedestrians who can prove that a driver violated a traffic law and caused their accident, could be entitled to compensation for their injury-related medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Reversing Vehicles

Other pedestrian accidents occur when drivers, in attempting to reverse out of a parking spot, either in a parking garage or lot, or on a street with limited visibility, fail to check that the space behind is clear. While they often occur at lower speeds than crosswalk and other pedestrian accidents, these kinds of collisions can still result in serious injuries for the pedestrian, including broken bones, lacerations, head trauma, and internal injuries.

School Zone Accidents

Many victims of pedestrian accidents are children, who are harder to see and often lack the judgment and experience to recognize traffic-related danger before it is too late. To help prevent these kinds of devastating accidents, Florida lawmakers require drivers to abide by slower speed limits near schools and in residential areas. Drivers must also be sure to avoid passing a school bus that is actively picking up or dropping off passengers. Unfortunately, not all motorists obey these rules, which can have disastrous consequences for unsuspecting children.

Getting Legal Help After Your Pedestrian Accident

Pedestrian accidents have some of the most devastating repercussions of any type of car crash because pedestrians are so vulnerable to injury. For help holding the at-fault driver who caused your own crash accountable for his or her actions, call Goldman Law, P.A. and speak with a dedicated Maitland pedestrian accident lawyer about your legal options today. Contact us online or call us directly at 407-960-1900.

Sources:

cdc.gov/transportationsafety/pedestrian_safety/index.html

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.130.html