Each year, motor vehicles injure thousands of Georgia pedestrians. Many pedestrian collisions are fatal. Even moderate pedestrian crashes cause major injuries. If you, or someone you love, was injured in a pedestrian collision, you should contact an Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyer.
Our Atlanta motor vehicle accident lawyers have succesfully helped many pedesterian accident victims. We’ll deliver the best customer service and the greatest result. Our prior victories and our 5-star client reviews validate that promise.
Call us today at (404) 939-9470. Also, you may fill-out our online contact form to schedule a free case review with an Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyer. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got the answers.
Pedestrian Accident Causes
Today’s motor vehicles are much safer than their predecessors. Safer vehicles cause fewer deaths.
Unfortunately, pedestrian deaths have steadily increased over the course of the past decade. In fact, even though Americans drove 13.2% fewer miles in 2020, the pedestrian death rate increased 21%.
Here are the common pedestrian accident causes:
Distracted Drivers
Distracted drivers cause many deadly pedestrian accidents. For instance, in 2018, distracted drivers killed 2,800 people and injured 400,000 others. If you’re a pedestrian, you should try to make eye contact with the driver of an approaching vehicle before you cross the street. If the driver is looking down, don’t cross until the road is clear.
Large SUVs
Large SUVs also cause many pedestrian collisions. Why? Because they ride much higher than sedans. As a result, if an SUV collides with a pedestrian, it will typically injure the pedestrian’s chest which can quickly lead to heart and lung failure.
A 2020 Michigan study revealed that SUVs caused more serious injuries than cars when the impact speed exceeded 19 mph. At speeds of 20-39 mph, 3 out of 10 crashes with SUVs (30 percent) caused pedestrian deaths, compared with 5 out of 22 for cars (23 percent). At 40 mph and higher, all three SUV crashes killed the pedestrian (100 percent), compared with 7 out of 13 car crashes (54 percent).
That disturbing trend may continue because the share of SUVs in the U.S. vehicle fleet rose 8% from 2009 to 2018. If you were struck by a large SUV, you should contact an Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyer.
Drunk Drivers
Drunk drivers often strike pedestrians that have recently emerged from a restaurant or club. If you’ve requested an Uber, don’t jaywalk across the road to get into the vehicle. It’s a much better idea to use a pedestrian crosswalk. If there isn’t a pedestrian crosswalk near you, text the Uber driver and tell them to pick you up on your side of the road.
Quiet Cars
Nowadays, there are many electric vehicles on the road. Electric vehicles run on batteries instead of a combustion engine. Therefore, they’re much quieter than traditional gas-powered vehicles. When vehicles are quieter, pedestrians have difficulty anticipating them. If you’re driving, make sure that you keep your headlamps on at all hours of the day so that you’re visible to pedestrians even if they can’t hear you approaching.
If you or someone you love was injured or killed in a pedestrian accident, you should contact our Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers at Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers. We’ll determine how the crash occurred. Then, we’ll recover the compensation you deserve.
Pedestrian Accident Injuries
Many pedestrian accidents occur at low travel speeds. Despite what you might think, low-impact pedestrian collisions often cause serious injuries. Why? Because pedestrians are unprotected.
When pedestrian accidents aren’t fatal, they typically cause the following injuries:
- Head and brain injuries – Many pedestrian collisions cause head injuries. If you’re feeling dizzy after the collision, you probably suffered a concussion. You should go to the emergency room and get your brain scanned ASAP.
- Paralysis – High-impact pedestrian collisions may sever the spinal cord and cause paralysis.
- Neck injuries – Many pedestrian accident victims injure their cervical spine discs. Call your doctor if you’re experience throbbing arm pain or numbness.
- Back injuries – Pedestrian collisions usually cause back injuries. Trigger point steroid injections may reduce back pain and inflammation.
- Broken bone injuries – Pedestrian collisions often cause broken limbs, hips, and pelvises.
Pedestrian Accident Damages
Pedestrians may recover the following damages:
- Past, present, and future medical costs
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Lost emotional support
Some pedestrian victims may also recover punitive damages. Punitive damages punish reckless conduct. They’re often recoverable if the at fault driver was drunk.
A skilled Atlanta pedestrian injury lawyer will compute all the potential compensation you may recover.
What If I’m Partially At-Fault?
Georgia is a comparative fault state. Thus, you may recover damages if you’re not at least 50% at fault. However, your award is reduced by your fault share. So, if a jury awards you $100,000 damages and you’re 30% at fault, you’ll recover $70,000. An Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyer will explain how your conduct may impact your award.
Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers Can Help You
At Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers, our Atlanta car accident lawyers have got what it takes to win the best result for you.
Call us today at (404) 939-9470. Also, you may fill-out our online contact form to schedule a free case review with an Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyer.
