If you are an out of state resident visiting Washington, DC there are a number of important things you should know regarding pedestrian injuries. This includes the traffic laws that you must obey whether walking, running, or biking and how they can impact your injury claim. For more information call and schedule a consultation with a DC pedestrian injury lawyer.
Generally speaking, the traffic laws in D.C. are the same or very similar to traffic laws throughout the country. The distinction in the District of Columbia is that it is a contributory negligence jurisdiction. This is a significant distinction because the majority of the country are comparative negligence jurisdictions.
This means that if the jury were to find the injured party even 1% negligent than that injured party’s claim is barred from recovery. Conversely, with comparative negligence, if each party contributed equally to the happening of the accident, than the court could apportion out any damages according to the percentage of fault.
Out-of-state pedestrians should be aware that D.C. is a fairly busy place. You have a lot of people on the street, you have a lot of people on the sidewalk and you have a lot of cars, taxis, tour buses, commuter buses and so on. Pedestrians, who are coming to D.C. from out of town, need to understand that they have to share the road. Pedestrians should keep a proper lookout in accordance with being in a heavy traffic.
Tourists may be accustomed to a more rural setting, where they may not see another car for a few miles. Here, it is just simply a much more congested and crowded area. Pedestrians and bicyclists need to be much more attentive to their surroundings in order to keep safe.
The most important thing for anyone operating a bicycle should know is that a bicycle by definition is a vehicle. Vehicles are, generally speaking, required to follow the rules of the road. So, this issue can be compounded when visitors from out of town ride a bicycle. There is no leniency for not knowing the law. If a person is going to ride a bicycle than that person is charged with knowing how to operate the bicycle safely and in conformity with the law.
If you are injured as a pedestrian in DC, consult with an injury lawyer today to discuss your case and begin filing a claim. An attorney can guide you through the claims process and help you compile the necessary evidence to ensure you put forth the strongest claim possible. For more information, call and schedule a consultation today.
