Law Articles - Pedestrians, Keep Yourselves Safe.


by NICHOLAS TATE - Date: 2009-10-13 - Word Count: 474 Share This!

You can't kneel in the middle of a highway and live to tell the tale. Which is to say, there's no saying what will happen to you if you're ever hit by a vehicle, god forbid. It would not be wrong to say that you will sustain injuries, and some who are not so fortunate will also die. There's however, no way to escape unscathed from a collision or an accident between a human and a vehicle. Which is why it might shock you to know that almost 80,000 of these happen every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.

At such times, the only thing that can offer some solace is the fact that pedestrians who meet with such accidents are entitled to a fair compensation, provided they are able to prove that the driver of the vehicle was responsible for causing the accident. In such a case the pedestrian can file a personal injury due to negligence claim against the driver, if he can prove that the driver was negligent of traffic rules while driving which caused him (the pedestrian) injuries.

However, things are not always in favor of the pedestrian. At times, it may turn out that the roads and sidewalks themselves were badly maintained which caused the accident and the injury to the pedestrian was an indirect consequence, in which case the city administration will be responsible ; it may also turn out that it was another driver's fault altogether, and this driver was merely trying to protect himself; or the defendant may turn tables on the pedestrian by proving that it was actually the pedestrian who was negligent and brought the injury upon himself

Prevention is better than cure and if you're a driver, preventing the accident will also prove to be less expensive than making amends later on. Therefore drive at speeds where you can control the car, don't switch lanes without warning, don't cut corners, slow down in school or hospital zones and near parks and residential areas. Leave the phone conversation for later and discipline the kids when you're at home. Tolerate the annoying song till you're in a less crowded area and also keep a look out for jaywalkers and people who like to dart between traffic.

Similarly, for a pedestrian there's much more at stake than simply financial damage. Don't walk on the road like it's a garden, remember what they taught you about crossing the road in school, the signal is also meant for you, don't jog on roads that are busy and don't let kids out of your sight. Also wear bright clothing at night in a dark street and don't run across streets or dart between traffic.

Often, a car accident claim will involve a pedestrian accident which can complicate things. To understand how to un-complicate this, visit claims4negligence.co.uk


Related Tags: pedestrian injury, pedestrian car accident

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