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Pedestrians must be careful crossing roads and sharing the street

Staten Island NY Personal Injury Lawyer > Accidents  > Pedestrians must be careful crossing roads and sharing the street

Pedestrians must be careful crossing roads and sharing the street

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law

Walking remains one of the most popular methods of transportation in New York City. Thanks to heavy traffic and the ready availability of safe sidewalks, most people choose to walk at least some of the places they travel on any given day. Of course, there are many benefits to walking. It provides you with good exercise and ensures good cardiovascular health. It reduces your carbon footprint and expenses associated with commuting.

However, walking in New York City can also be incredibly dangerous. Some businesses and homeowners do not maintain their sidewalksproperly, which could leave you at risk for injury. There’s also the looming risk of a collision between any given pedestrian and a motor vehicle. It only takes a second for someone in a vehicle to fail to notice you and cause a crash.

When pedestrians and cars collide, pedestrians lose

One of the benefits of traveling in a motor vehicle is that the shell of the car, truck or SUV protects the people inside in the event of a crash. For those who are walking, there is no such protection. Instead, they will receive the full force of the collision. This can result in broken bones, catastrophic head injuries and even death.

Pedestrians must remain alert at all times and do their best to comply with traffic safety laws to reduce the risk of an injury. Sadly, there is no way for the average pedestrian to change the driving habits of people with whom they share the road. While pedestrian deaths have reached an all-time low since 1910, there is still risk involved any time you head out for a walk. While fatal crashes may be on the decline, injuries and fatal crashes still occur regularly.

Pedestrians injured in crashes and their families often have legal rights

Provided that you did not actually cause the accident through your own negligence, as a victim of the pedestrian-involved vehicle crash, you will usually have the right to pursue compensation. Drivers should yield to people walking, and they should remain alert for people on the sidewalks and crossing the streets at all times.

Failing to do this can place other people in unnecessary risk. Those who suffer injuries caused by a driver while they were walking often have the right to seek financial compensation for their medical costs and lost wages.

For surviving family members, a fatal pedestrian accident can prove devastating. While no amount of compensation can undo a tragic loss, at least New York law allows certain people to seek compensation for losses related to a fatal pedestrian accident. A wrongful death lawsuit can help you recoup the cost of a funeral and the lost wages of your loved one.