Many people think of walking as a safe alternative to driving around town, but even pedestrians are at a risk of dying in a crash. In fact, on a per-trip basis, pedestrians are around 1.5 times more likely to die than a passenger in a vehicle. On average, one pedestrian death occurs every 88 minutes in this country.
It isn’t up to only the pedestrians to increase their safety. Instead, drivers have to play their part in keeping pedestrians safe. One thing that both parties have to do is ensure that they’re sober. Alcohol plays a role in many of these accidents.
Alcohol is a factor in almost half of all fatal pedestrian wrecks with vehicles. One out of every three fatal wrecks involved a pedestrian who was legally intoxicated, while 17% involved a driver who was. In some cases, both parties were intoxicated.
Pedestrians are at an increased risk of being fatally struck at night and at places other than intersections. Vehicle speed plays a role in the outcome for the pedestrian. Being struck by a vehicle at higher speeds means the pedestrian is more likely to die from their injuries.
A pedestrian who is struck by a vehicle will need to seek medical care. It’s possible that some injuries aren’t going to be noticeable right away. Because this care might be costly, the pedestrian might opt to seek compensation from the driver who struck them. This is an attempt to recover the financial damages, including the medical expenses, missed wages and a host of other impacts that they might be dealing with because a negligent or reckless driver struck them.