Pedestrian Accidents

Vehicle versus pedestrian accidents are an inescapable fact of life. Each year, approximately 5,000 pedestrians are killed and an additional 64,000 are injured on U.S. roadways due to motor vehicle collisions.

The National Highway Traffic Association (NHTA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report that pedestrian fatalities account for 11% of motor vehicle fatalities and a pedestrian is injured on average, every 8 minutes in a traffic accident, additionally, one pedestrian dies every 111 minutes on U.S. roadways in a traffic related accident. In 2005, there were nearly 4,900 pedestrian fatalities caused by motor vehicle accidents. That amounts to 1.6 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people. Between 1975 and 2005, more than 180,000 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle accidents in the U.S.

The National Safety Council estimates that 85.7 percent of all non-fatal pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas and 14.3 percent occur in rural areas. Nearly 2/3 of pedestrian deaths take place on urban roads. This is proven by 2005 statistics, where 72 percent of pedestrian deaths occurred in urban developments. Although a substantial number of injuries occur at crosswalks, in 2003, 65 percent of pedestrian accidents occurred at non-intersections and in 2005, 71 percent of pedestrian deaths occurred on major roads, which includes freeways, interstates and highways.

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a pedestrian accident, contact an experienced San Diego pedestrian accident attorney from our office today. In California, pedestrians have the right of way. When pedestrians are injured or killed as a result of the negligence, carelessness or recklessness of a car, truck or motorcycle driver, they deserve to be fully compensated for their injuries.