According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 5,000 pedestrians and upwards of 700 bicyclists were killed in crashes with cars in 2014 alone. Unfortunately, California has frequently been listed as one of the most common places for fatalities to occur. Although pedestrian injuries have generally been on a downward trend for the past 20 years, they also spiked in 2012.
A rising number of individuals who are using a bike or commuting on foot to run their errands or get to work means that there are more of these accidents than ever before.
Unfortunately, pedestrians are all too frequently over represented in crash data, making up 14% of all traffic fatalities but only approximately 11% of all trips. There is always some level of risk associated with walking. However, despite many different crosswalks, sounds and safe locations for pedestrians to walk and the fact that they have the right of way in many locations, accidents can and do still occur.
One of the leading reasons for this is that motor vehicle drivers are not watching appropriately or are driving recklessly and get into an accident with a pedestrian or a cyclist. The individual who has been hurt in an accident like this may be entitled to recover compensation in a personal injury claim. Reach out to a California pedestrian accident lawyer if you need help with a legal case.