Understanding the eight most common causes of pedestrian accidents could help you avoid injuries or recover compensation to pay for your medical care after an accident.
If you sustained severe injuries in one of these collisions, an Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyer could help you understand your legal rights and take the necessary steps to secure compensation for your injuries, expenses, and losses. They will manage your legal case while you recover from your injuries and return to your everyday activities.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents?
The leading causes for a motor vehicle driver hitting a pedestrian typically involve negligence on the driver’s part. As a result, a driver is more likely to be at fault for a pedestrian accident.
1. Failing to Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalks
Motorists must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks (marked or unmarked). Failure to do so violates traffic laws and could make the driver legally responsible for any injuries, expenses, and losses experienced by an injured walker.
2. Failing to Yield When Turning
Intersections are among the most dangerous places for pedestrians, and drivers who fail to yield the right of way can cause an accident. Unfortunately, drivers don’t always look for pedestrians in the crosswalk when they turn onto a cross street.
While this can occur when turning right or left, it is more common in left-hand turns because the pedestrian is further away, and the driver looks for cars in the traffic lane instead of paying attention to someone crossing the street.
3. Driving Distracted
When a driver’s focus strays from operating their vehicle, it can cause many issues. Even glancing at your phone to read a text message or check your GPS, or turning to check on a child in the backseat provides enough time for a pedestrian to enter a crosswalk and the motorist to fail to see them.
4. Driving Impaired
Drunk, drugged, or drowsy driving is extremely dangerous. Slower reaction times, sluggish decision-making, and even blurred vision could occur. Safely sharing the roadway with pedestrians requires one’s full attention and concentration. When a driver is impaired, this is often impossible.
5. Speeding
Speeding and other reckless driving behaviors are common contributing factors to pedestrian injury accidents. The faster a person drives, the less time they have to react to someone in a crosswalk or walking along the side of a road. In addition, speed and reckless driving could contribute to accidents that involve drivers running up on the sidewalk and other similar events.
6. Failure to Follow Traffic Signs and Signals
Busy intersections and areas with high pedestrian traffic often have traffic signs and signals to aid pedestrians and drivers in sharing the road safely. For example, a pedestrian might trigger a blinking crosswalk sign before crossing a major highway. Drivers need to notice the lights turning on to avoid colliding with the pedestrian.
7. Failing to Signal When Turning
When drivers do not signal before turning, they do not indicate their intentions to any pedestrian wishing to cross the street. As a result, the pedestrian doesn’t know whether it is safe to step into the crosswalk. They cannot proactively protect themselves when drivers do not signal their intent to turn.
8. Not Leaving Enough Space When Passing a Pedestrian
Pedestrians should use sidewalks or other paths to traverse busy roadways, but these are only sometimes available, especially in neighborhoods and rural areas. To share the road safely, pedestrians should follow all best practices, such as walking against the flow of traffic and wearing bright clothing.
However, drivers are responsible for passing them safely, and if they misjudge how much clearance they’ve provided, they could clip a pedestrian.
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Can a Pedestrian Cause a Collision?
The driver is liable in most pedestrian injury accidents, but a pedestrian can cause a crash under some circumstances. However, this outcome is rare. It usually occurs when a pedestrian steps out in front of a vehicle without warning and in an unexpected place to cross the road.
Pedestrians should carefully consider their surroundings, even when using a marked crosswalk. However, traffic laws and the legal system usually favor walkers in these cases. Drivers generally need to yield to pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks or as they walk along a road with no sidewalks. Thus, it’s difficult for a driver to establish a pedestrian’s liability for these collisions.
What Should I Do If I Was a Pedestrian Accident Victim in Georgia?
If you suffered injuries in a pedestrian accident in Georgia, consider discussing your next steps with an attorney who handles these cases regularly. They will be familiar with the applicable laws, the common causes of pedestrian accidents, and other necessary details. Their experience and knowledge will allow them to navigate the process for you while you heal.
Georgia law allows injured pedestrians to hold the at-fault driver legally liable for these collisions and recover fair compensation for their expenses and losses, such as:
- Medical care to date and estimated future care costs
- Lost income
- Diminished earning ability
- Property repair or replacement
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members and the estate
While many pedestrian accident cases settle out of court, protecting your right to sue the at-fault driver is imperative. Per O.C.G.A § 9-3-33, victims generally have two years to begin this process. Other deadlines could apply, and missing them could affect your right to recover compensation. Act quickly to talk to a lawyer to protect your rights and discuss your legal options.
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Discuss Your Georgia Pedestrian Injury Accident Case With Us
Kaine Law provides free consultations for pedestrian accident victims and their families in Atlanta and across Georgia. We can fight for the money you deserve for your physical and emotional injuries. We offer a no-fee guarantee—you pay nothing unless we secure money for you. Contact us now to get started.
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