The following is information you should know regarding pedestrian accidents and when they commonly occur. To learn more or discuss your case, call and schedule a consultation with a DC pedestrian accident lawyer today.
Common Scenarios Involving Pedestrian Accidents
The most common scenario is where a few minor issues culminate in a pedestrian accident. For example, when it is raining outside, a person may alter their normal commute, the person may drive instead of walk or take the metro, another person may be using an umbrella or a hood to protect them from the rain, which can also hamper their ability to see traffic around them. At the same time, the drivers of the vehicles will be using windshield wipers and headlights to try and help them to see. So, you can see how something as innocuous as a rainy day, can create a scenario with increased traffic, and drivers and pedestrians with limited vision. This is the type of scenario that lends itself to culminating in a collision.
Children and Pedestrian Accidents
Children can be involved in accidents as pedestrians, and when you consider the factors that exist in a pedestrian accident, you can understand why. Children, generally, do not appreciate the risk of running in and around the street. Additionally, because children are smaller than adults, it can be difficult for drivers to see them if they dart out between two cars. Generally, the parked cars block the driver’s view and prevent him or her from seeing the child.
How Do Child Related Pedestrian Accidents Differ?
In a nutshell, the law that is applied is the same, but the standards to which the pedestrian are held very depending on whether the pedestrian is a child or an adult. Child related pedestrian accidents differ from accidents involving adults in that the ultimate fact finder is called upon to determine whether the actions of the child were reasonable under the circumstances. When a child is involved in the collision, the fact finder is called upon to apply the reasonableness of a child and not an adult. So, the fact finder is determining whether the child has acted like a reasonable child. The fact finder is not called upon to determine whether the child has acted as a reasonable adult would act under the circumstances.
Additionally, children can suffer significant injuries, often times worse than adults, when they are involved in collisions with motor vehicles as pedestrians.
Pedestrian Accidents Involving Teens
Teens and preteens, like young children, can often be distracted or not fully appreciate the risk of potential injury. They could act in a way where they are more likely to be struck by as a pedestrian. For example, if teens are traveling in a large group or looking at their cellphones, they may not appreciate the danger of crossing the street outside the crosswalk.
Pedestrian Accidents Involving The Elderly
All pedestrians are at risk of being hit in the District of Columbia. What should happen, in an ideal world, is a driver of the motor vehicle should see any person crossing a street, whether that person is young or old, and the driver should operate their vehicle accordingly.
If you have an elderly person who is crossing the road and may need some more time, then it is the obligation of that driver to wait for the elderly pedestrian to cross the street. Seeing an elderly pedestrian is a risk that a driver should see and appreciate, and they should operate a the vehicle accordingly.
Are Drivers in DC Typically More Aggressive Toward Pedestrians?
It is hard to say whether drivers in D.C. are aggressive towards pedestrians. The city presents a fairly common urban setting where large groups of pedestrians are in close proximity to motor vehicles traveling in and around the city. Pedestrian accidents have a greater chance of occurring here in the city than in some suburban, outlying areas.
The other thing that is unique about D.C. is that you have a large population of tourists, who come to town to see the sights. It is my assumption that tourists may not be as attuned to the laws governing the flow of traffic they may also fail to appreciate the large volume of vehicular traffic in the area.