Every year, more than 5,000 pedestrians are killed in fatal accidents with motor vehicles, and approximately 70,000 more are injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Although traffic laws are designed to keep the roads as safe as possible for both motorists and pedestrians, the fact of the matter is that pedestrians are at a huge disadvantage due to the disparity of size and mass between a person and a car.
If you’ve been hit by a car while walking, you need to speak with a Denver accident attorney before you speak with any insurance adjuster, yours or the driver’s.
Disturbingly, most pedestrian accidents take place between 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon, when children are walking home from school. As a result, children face the highest risk of being involved in a pedestrian accident, and although municipal laws impose a higher standard of care on drivers that drive through areas where children are prone to be walking to and from school, accidents still occur on a regular basis. Drivers still break the speed limit, text while driving, or allow themselves to be distracted from noticing the risks they pose to children in the area.
There are also a number of myths revolving around pedestrian laws, such as that a motorist is not to blame for an accident if a pedestrian was “jaywalking.” To be clear, drivers who hit pedestrians can still be held at fault, even if the pedestrian was walking across the street without a crosswalk. Pedestrians are responsible, in part, for exercising reasonable care for their own safety, but a number of factors are at play in a pedestrian accident.
However, drivers also have a responsibility to exercise reasonable care while operating a vehicle, and can be held liable for failure to take due care to avoid an accident with a pedestrian, if it’s evident that they might have been able to avoid the crash had they been paying attention, for instance.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a pedestrian accident in Colorado, reach out to our Denver accident attorney firm. We have handled lawsuits from pedestrian accidents in Colorado and will work to prevent the insurance company from minimizing your claim or overlooking any aspects of your injuries. Call our offices to schedule a FREE consultation with a lawyer who can begin the process of filing your claim.
Contact Zaner Harden Law for a free and confidential consultation by calling (303) 563-5354. Or, you can complete our Free Case Evaluation Form online and we will contact you.
