Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Ventura County

Whether you are walking through downtown Ventura, jogging in Thousand Oaks or wandering around in downtown Los Angeles, it is important to be aware of the risks of a pedestrian accident.

The problem of pedestrians being killed or seriously injured on California roadways is bad and growing worse. There are more people out walking – to get to work, school and shopping or just for fun, exercise, and being outside. In an era where we are promoting walking as a healthy, positive, and community building alternative to driving, walking is becoming increasingly dangerous. 

• 2018: 893 pedestrians were killed on California roadways, a 26% increase from 2014.
• 2018: More than 14,000 pedestrians injured.
• Pedestrian deaths rose 26% percent between 2014 and 2018.
• Nearly 7,500 pedestrians have died in California between 2009 and 2018.
• California’s pedestrian fatality rate is almost 25% higher than the national average.
• No state has more pedestrian deaths on its roadways than California.

Pedestrians are far more likely than automobile passengers to be killed in an accident. If you have been injured in a pedestrian or automobile accident, it is important to contact an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

Risk Factors For California Pedestrian Accidents

Who is at risk of being in a serious or life-threatening pedestrian accident?  Several different factors play into the likelihood and severity of a pedestrian accident:

• – Age: older adults and children are more likely than people in other age groups to sustain injuries in a pedestrian accident. Adults aged 65 and older actually account for about 20 percent of all pedestrian. Likewise, more than 20 percent of all reported pedestrian fatalities involved children between the ages of 5 and 15.
• – Alcohol use: when drivers and pedestrians are impaired by alcohol, they’re more likely to be involved in a deadly traffic collision. Indeed, nearly 50 percent of all fatal pedestrian accidents involved a driver or a pedestrian with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams or more.
• – Vehicle speed: when drivers exceed the speed limit, they increase the likelihood of hitting a pedestrian, as well as increasing the severity of the pedestrian’s injuries.

Preventing Pedestrian Accidents

Safety tips for pedestrians:

• Make yourself visible: wear bright colored clothes and carry a flashlight if you are walking at night.
• Avoid dangerous behaviors: always walk on the sidewalk (no jaywalking), stay sober and make eye contact with drivers – don’t assume the driver can see you.
• Stay off your phones, talking and especially texting distracts you from paying attention to your surroundings.
• Look before you step: cross streets at marked crosswalks/intersections, obey traffic signals and watch for turning vehicles.
• Look left-right-left before crossing a street.

Safety tips for drivers:

• Don’t speed, follow the speed limit and never use your phone; always be cautious of your surroundings.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
• Look out for pedestrians, especially in hard-to-see conditions such as at night or in bad weather.
• Pedestrians have the right of way at any crosswalk or intersection, so yield and be prepared to stop.
• Stop at the crosswalk stop line to give drivers in other lanes an opportunity to see and yield to pedestrians too.
• Be cautious when backing up – pedestrians, especially young children, can move across your path.

Contact A Pedestrian Accident Attorney

It is impossible to anticipate a pedestrian accident, and traffic collisions often have serious consequences. If you suffered injuries because of a driver’s negligence, you should seek compensation by filing a personal injury claim. Contact us now at the Maki Law Firm (805) 267-1222.