Pedestrian Accident
Pedestrian accidents are something to take very seriously. The average weight of a passenger car is 3239 pounds, and even a car traveling just ten miles an hour can do severe damage to an unprotected human being. D.C. is no stranger to pedestrians getting hit by cars. Just two years ago we broke a ten year record for fatal pedestrian accidents in the District, with 27 people struck and killed by automobiles.
At around that same time, The Washington Post put out a list of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in Washington, DC. Considering how many of us actually walk in this city, and considering the D.C. area’s reputation for traffic, we view this as practical information. You should also consider that with cell phones, text messaging, iPods and even television sets in automobiles, more and more drivers are spending less time with their eyes on the roads.
We found some particularly bits of information in this article that were surprising, and some that were not. For instance, it isn’t much of a surprise that over half of these dangerous intersections were in Northwest D.C. This is where the White House, Smithsonian, Capital Building and most of the major monuments are, which means that this is where most of the tourists congregate. Adams Morgan and U Street are also in Northwest, and if you are a D.C. native you probably already know how crowded with pedestrians these neighborhoods get on weekend nights.
Washington, D.C. and all the surrounding areas are more car friendly than pedestrian friendly. You would be hard pressed to find someone in D.C. or the Maryland and Virginia suburbs that doesn’t own a car, and that mindset seems to permeate the entire population. You would be surprised as to the number of people that get hit by cars due to no fault of their own who still seem to think that they were to blame.
Believe it or not, the folks who created the laws were mindful of the fact that cars can do a great deal of damage to people, and accordingly pedestrians and bicyclists often have the right of way in many traffic situations. Here are few of the more obvious ones:
Crosswalks: There doesn’t need to necessarily be a light at a crosswalk. Pedestrians have the right of way when they are walking on a clearly established crosswalk. This means that motorists are required to stop and let pedestrians cross safely. Blasting through a cross walk with your car is not only rude, but is also against the law.
Stop Signs: This might seem as obvious as the nose on your face, but one of the more common causes of pedestrian accidents are when the driver of a car doesn’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign. The slang term for this is a “Texas Stop,” which is where you don’t stop as much as you just slow down. It is important to remember that even a car going at the slowest of speeds can still do real damage to a human body. So if a driver just fails to come to a complete stop, he or she is still carrying the forward momentum of a vehicle that weighs over a ton.
Right Turns: This is simply an extension of failing to stop at a stop sign or intersection, but the potential danger to pedestrians is even greater. A driver who fails to come to a complete stop before turning right is both accelerating into a turn and turning without getting a full view of what will be ahead of him.
Ignoring or Crowding Bicyclists: If your initial reaction is just to blaze past a bicyclist as fast as you can, you are absolutely breaking the law. Bicyclists have just as much right to be on the roads as you do, and due to the fact that they have practically no protection whatsoever, they have to be treated with caution and respect. Not giving them enough room on the right or driving past them at an accelerated rate of speed could lead to an accident, and if that occurs, the odds are that you will be at fault.
Ignoring the Speed Limit: Ignoring the posted speed limit is dangerous behavior anywhere, but if you do so in a residential area, you are definitely putting the lives of others at risk. On any given suburban street, children or pets think nothing of darting out into the middle of the street. Neither do adults for that matter. If a pedestrian is hit in a residential area and the driver in question was speeding, it’s hard to imagine a judge treating this person with restraint.
The injuries that pedestrians and cyclists suffer after they have been hit by a car can be long lasting or even permanent. If a pedestrian gets hit by an automobile, it isn’t a question of if he or she will be injured. It will be a question of how badly he or she will be injured.
At Greenberg and Bederman, we take into account every aspect of what aninjury victim has lost when we formulate our legal strategy. It isn’t enough to just consider the medical bills. We also consider time lost from work, emotional trauma and pain and suffering. It is our position that the great majority of accidents don’t just happen as much as they are caused, and we use that as a guiding principle when we represent the needs of our clients.
Greenberg and Bederman has been serving the injured of Washington, Virginia and Maryland for twenty five years, and we have earned a reputation as advocates for those who have been hurt due to the negligence of others. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident or injured as apedestrian, contact our injury lawyer, Jason Fernandez, Andrew Bederman, or Roger Greenberg for a free accident injury legal consultation.
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