Pedestrians who are hit by motor vehicles may have a claim against the driver but they must prove that the driver was negligent and his negligence caused the accident. However, pedestrians must also know and follow the laws of the road.

Unfortunately, most of these accidents are avoidable—caused by negligent drivers.

Driver negligence includes:

  • An inattentive or pre-occupied driver (and most of these are either on cell phones or texting).
  • Failure to observe posted speed limits (as in school zones).
  • Failure to yield the right of way to pedestrians at marked cross walks.
  • Negligently turning at an intersection.
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The facts are shocking. In the United States, car accidents kill about 4,600 pedestrians, and injure another 70,000 people every year.

A study conducted in 2009 said Las Vegas is one of the most dangerous cities for pedestrians. It said more than 20-percent of all the traffic deaths in Las Vegas are pedestrian fatalities. The study done by Transportation for America says cities like Las Vegas are dangerous because they were not designed to provide safety for people on bike and foot. Tragically, children are at the greatest risk of becoming the victims of careless drivers.

If a pedestrian survives a car accident, he or she may suffer extremely serious injuries, requiring hospitalization, surgery, and long-term medical treatment. Often, victims never fully regain their ability to return to school or work or to resume previous personal activities. Some individuals require help with personal care and other normal activities of daily living for the rest of their lives. In short, a serious car accident involving a pedestrian can significantly change the pedestrian accident victim's life -- temporarily or even permanently.

That is why, if you or a family member is a pedestrian involved in a car accident, you need to protect your legal rights.

After motor vehicle accidents, victims and their families frequently concentrate on their physical, emotional, or financial challenges. However, the time that the law allows for an adult or child to act to preserve their legal rights starts to run from the day of the collision. It is not unusual for an accident victim who is struggling to deal with a disabling injury, to forget that time is running out to take the steps necessary to secure benefits.

Protect your rights.

If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a Las Vegas pedestrian accident, talk with an experienced Las Vegas pedestrian accident lawyer.

Safety Tips for Pedestrians:

-Walk on sidewalks. If sidewalks are not available, walk on the edge of the road or on the left shoulder of the road, facing the traffic flow. Use pedestrian bridges when they are available.

-Cross at marked crosswalks or intersections. Pedestrians are most often hit by cars when they cross the road at places other than intersections.

-Look left, right, and left for traffic. Stop at the curb and look left, right, and left again for traffic. Stopping at the curb signals drivers that you intend to cross. Always obey traffic signals.

-See and be seen: Stay out of the driver's blind spot, make eye contact with drivers when crossing busy streets, wear bright colors or reflective clothing if you are walking near traffic at night, carry a flashlight when walking in the dark, do not let kids play near traffic or cross the street by themselves, and be sure that your umbrella or raincoat does not prevent approaching vehicles from seeing you.

-Watch your kids. Small children should not cross streets by themselves or be allowed to play or walk near traffic. Kids cannot accurately judge vehicle distances and speeds and may make unpredictable movements.

-Drinking and walking? Alcohol can impair the judgment and motor skills of pedestrians just as it does for drivers. Don't take alcohol risks with walking, just as you would not with driving. Take the bus, take a cab, or have a friend drive you home. Beware of the effects of prescription and non-prescription medications and drugs, too.

-Obey traffic signals. At intersections where traffic is controlled by signals or a traffic officer, pedestrians must obey the signal and not cross against the stop signal unless specifically directed to go by a traffic officer.

 

For more information on pedestrian accident statistics visit Transportation For America's website at http://t4america.org.

 

 

 

Edward M. Bernstein is the owner of Edward M. Bernstein & Associates, a law firm with offices in Las Vegas and Green Valley, Henderson. He has served as a Judge Pro Tem for the City of Las Vegas Municipal Court and for the City of North Las Vegas. He was the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 2000. He has been appointed by the Governor to serve as a hearing officer for the State of Nevada Personnel Advisory Commission as well as a hearing officer for the State of Nevada Department of Administration and the Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners. Las Vegas personal injury lawyer Ed Bernstein is one of the most experienced Las Vegas personal injury lawyer representing Las Vegas victims who need a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer or a Las Vegas car accident lawyer. If you've been hurt, you want a car crash attorney who understands the type of injuries that result from serious car wrecks. That's exactly what you'll get the from the law firm of Ed Bernstein & Associates. There are hundreds of accidents in Las Vegas annually and a car accident attorney in our Las Vegas injury law firm can help you recover damages and get compensated for injuries of all types. Our Las Vegas wrongful death lawyers handle injury lawsuits pertaining to medical malpractice cases. If you've been hurt by recalled drugs, a pharmacy error, dangerous antidepressants, or risky asthma drugs, where can you turn for help? You may have trusted a drug to help you feel better but now your health is worse. If you had a bad drug reaction, there's a good chance it may have happened to someone else too. Because there are time limits on filing a claim on a dangerous drug, don't wait any longer to find out about your legal rights. This website offers information about car accidents, bike accidents, taxi accidents, boat accidents, pedestrian accidents, motorcycle accidents, work injuries, workers compensation, hurt-on-the-job injures, dog bites, animal attacks, slip and fall accidents, casino accidents, medical malpractice, social security disability, people denied social security benefits, food poisoning, nursing home abuse, dental malpractice, chiropractor malpractice, nursing malpractice, healthcare malpractice, insurance disputes, defective products, harmful side effects from drugs like Ortho Evra, Seroquel, Zyprex, Fosamax, Digitek, Levaquin, or Yasmin / Yaz.