If you were a pedestrian injured in an accident you need to retain a top Rhode Island pedestrian accident lawyer. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, roughly 5,000 pedestrians perish and roughly 80,000 sustain a significant injury in collisions involving motor vehicles. Pedestrian accidents also cause numerous injuries and deaths in Rhode Island. There are also thousands of cases annually where pedestrians are hurt due to road or building construction, potholes, obstructions, and faulty upkeep in specific areas.
Top Rhode Island pedestrian accident lawyer
Naturally a pedestrian is entitled to file legal proceedings in RI for relief if negligence caused the accident. The injured party bears the burden of proof that the other party or parties did indeed not exercise proper care through their actions or lack thereof. You need a focused RI pedestrian injury lawyer or a RI pedestrian accident attorney on your side!
Examples of possible negligent parties are: the motor vehicle operator, the person or persons responsible for upkeep on a road, parking lot or sidewalk where the injury occurred, and the actual pedestrian.
RI pedestrian accident attorneys
In pedestrian accidents involving a motor vehicle, it is essential to realize both the driver and pedestrian have certain laws they must adhere to as well as employ a certain amount of awareness. If a driver is unmindful or unobservant, does not obey designated speed limits, refuses to surrender the right of way to the pedestrian at clearly posted walking zones, does not acknowledge stop lights, stop signs, etc., will not use their turn signal, does not take weather or traffic conditions into account, is operating their vehicle while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol and does not take special precautions to protect the safety of children, they are considered by the court system to be legally negligent.
Intersection accidents
A pedestrian must always act defensively on their own behalf and can be found negligent when they dismiss signals telling them when to cross an intersection, refuse to use crosswalks, and leap into heavy traffic at will.
In cases where pedestrians are harmed in Rhode Island by lack of a property owner’s or caretaker’s maintenance the same rule for proving negligence applies, but with different conditions. It must be clearly determined that the person in charge of the property was responsible for the state of disrepair, he or she must have palpable knowledge it existed and they purposefully did not repair it or the decayed state continued for such a period of time, it certainly should have been fixed long before any harm arose it from it.
For more information or if you feel you or someone you know possesses just cause to file a claim, please contact us immediately to ascertain your legal rights and needs.
Crosswalk accidents
The vast majority of pedestrian accidents in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and Massachusetts happen in crosswalks, at intersections, on city streets and sidewalks, at gas stations and parking lots. Pedestrians are hit by a variety of vehicles including passenger cars, delivery trucks, semi-tractor trailers, motorcycles and bicycles. In many incidences in RI, the pedestrian has little protection from a large, heavy moving vehicle. As a result, most Providence and East Providence pedestrian accidents cause catastrophic injuries.
Pedestrian injury stats
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that more than 60,000 pedestrians are injured every year in accidents and an additional 5000 are killed. This includes pedestrians that are walking, jogging, skateboarding, or using strollers and wheelchairs. Most pedestrian accidents in Rhode Island and Cranston / Warwick are caused when the front of a passenger vehicle collides with the pedestrian.
Why accident Occur in Pawtucket, Providence & North Providence
Usually, some type of driver distraction or negligence is the leading factor for causing pedestrian accidents. Most of these Rhode Island and Massachusetts car accidents happen on weekends in major metropolitan areas. Pedestrian males tend to be struck more often than females, and the elderly have a significantly higher fatality rate than children do. The likelihood of dying in a vehicle-related pedestrian accident in RI and Mass. is significantly greater if the vehicle is traveling at a fast rate of speed.
Negligence is usually a leading factor
Negligence is usually a leading factor of why pedestrian accidents occur in Rhode island and Massachusetts (MA) . Motorist are given the responsibility to exercise reasonable care when operating their vehicle. However, common contributing factors that involve motorist negligence leading to an accident can include:
• Distracted driving by texting, talking to passengers, watching videos, using GPS, adjusting the radio or speaking on a cell phone
• Speeding or driving recklessly
• Failing to use turn signals
• Disobeying posted traffic signals and signs
• Failing to provide the right of way to a pedestrian at intersections and in crosswalks
• Disregarding traffic and weather conditions affecting driving abilities
• Driving while intoxicated (drunk driving or high driving) or under the influence of drugs
Injured Young Pedestrians
Younger pedestrians are highly vulnerable to suffering death or serious injury when struck by a truck or car. Toddlers and young children are often hit in parking lots and driveways when drivers back their vehicle up without taking notice of what is behind them.
The highest rate of “back over accidents” tends to involve SUVs and pickup trucks, usually because the young child is often blocked from view. Additionally, young children are injured and killed every year when motorists pass a stopped school bus loading and unloading students.
Common Injuries
The types of injuries involved in a pedestrian accident in Rhode Island and Johnston are usually catastrophic where the victim suffers serious injuries or death. For those that survive, the injured pedestrian often suffers debilitating permanent disabilities along with:
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Head injury, concussions and contusions
• Crushed limbs, broken bones and lacerations
• Organ damage
• Deformity and disfigurement
• Spinal cord injury
• Permanent or temporary paralysis
Legal Accountability in Providence Superior Court
Victims of pedestrian accidents in Rhode Island and Massachusetts with injuries or damage are provided a legal opportunity to file a claim or lawsuit for compensation against all parties at fault. However, all claims for compensation must be filed before the expiration of the state’s statute of limitations. Because of that, it is essential to ensure that a Rhode Island pedestrian accident attorney evaluates the claim as quickly as possible to assess the value and merits of the case and provide a variety of legal options that govern the case.
Catastrophic injury
In all likelihood, the victim is entitled to receive compensation to cover their physical injuries to payoff medical expenses and recoup money lost from time away from work. Because of the catastrophic nature of a pedestrian accidents in RI, the Rhode island personal injury attorney will work for a large award or out-of-court settlement to ensure the victim has adequate compensation for future medical expenses, additional surgeries, rehabilitation and physical therapy. The RI pedestrian accident lawyer will fight the liability insurance company to get the injured victim the compensation they deserve.
Fatal car / pedestrian crash
In the event of a pedestrian being killed in a fatal car or truck/ pedestrian crash then the victim’s spouse, children or loved ones should contact a Rhode Island wrongful death lawyer who focuses on deadly / fatal pedestrian and motor vehicle accidents in RI. A RI wrongful death lawyer or an East Providence car accident attorney will help the survivors get the compensation that they deserve.
Bus accident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported: “On June 11, 1997, a transit bus collided with seven pedestrians at a “park and ride” transit facility in Normandy, Missouri. The bus was being operated by a driver trainee who had just completed a routine stop at the station. After allowing the passengers to debark from the bus, the driver trainee began to move the bus forward to provide clearance for another bus to pass. The driver trainee, who was reportedly unable to stop the bus, allowed it to surmount the curb and continue onto the station platform. The resulting encroachment onto the platform resulted in the deaths of four pedestrians and injuries to three others.” NTSB
Pedestrian fatality statistics
“Figure 1 contains information on four environmental characteristics (land use, pedestrian location, light condition, and time of day and season) where/when pedestrian fatalities occurred in 2013:
■ More occurred in urban areas (73%) than rural areas (27%).
■ More occurred at non-intersections (69%) than at intersections (20%) for pedestrian location (10% was other locations such as parking lanes/zones, bicycle lanes, shoulders/roadsides, sidewalks, medians/crossing islands, driveway accesses, shareduse paths/trails, non-trafficway areas, and other).
■ More occurred in the dark (72%) than in daylight (25%), dawn (2%), and dusk (2%).
■ Time of day is divided into eight 3-hour time intervals starting at midnight, and season is defined by months:
• For the winter months (January, February, and the following December), 34 percent of the pedestrian fatalities occurred from 6 to 8:59 p.m., followed by 16 percent from 9 to 11:59 p.m., and 13 percent from 3 to 5:59 p.m.
• For the spring months (March to May), 25 percent of the pedestrian fatalities occurred from 9 to 11:59 p.m., followed by 22 percent from 6 to 8:59 p.m.
• For the summer months (June to August), 34 percent of the pedestrian fatalities occurred from 9 to 11:59 p.m., followed by 14 percent from 12 to 2:59 a.m. and 6 to 8:59 p.m.
• For the fall months (September to November), 31 percent of the pedestrian fatalities occurred from 6 to 8:59 p.m., followed by 19 percent from 9 to 11:59 p.m.” Crash stats
