Injuries that are suffered in motor vehicle accidents can range from minor to fatal. In between, there is a wide variety of injuries that can be suffered that could leave someone with a trip to the hospital, an extended stay in the intensive care unit, or deal the victim a catastrophic blow that changes their lives forever. Unfortunately, serious injuries are an all-too-common occurrence with motor vehicle accidents — and it is even more of a problem for pedestrians who get tangled up in these wrecks.
Even more, unfortunately, it looks like a trend of increasing pedestrian deaths and injuries are plaguing the country right now.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2015 saw a 12.1 increase in pedestrian fatalities when compared to 2006. 5,376 pedestrians died in 2015 while 4,795 pedestrians were killed in 2006. The trend is the same with pedestrian injuries. In 2015, there were about 70,000 pedestrians injured. But in 2006, there were about 61,000 pedestrians injured. This represents a 14. 8 percent increase when comparing those years.
There could be a wide range of reasons as to why this trend is suddenly occurring. Perhaps distracted driving is contributing to the rise in pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Or maybe our roads aren’t as well constructed and managed as we would think. In any case, pedestrians are at risk out on the road, and when they are injured in a pedestrian accident, they need to consider their legal standing.
Source: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, “Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Statistics,” Accessed July 14, 2017