Birmingham Pedestrian Accident Attorney

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian accidents are commonly caused by a driver who’s:

• Speeding
• Driving while distracted
• Disregarding weather or traffic conditions
• Failing to signal while turning
• Failing to yield the right of way to pedestrians at crosswalks
• Disobeying traffic signs or signals
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Negligence on behalf of the driver will need to be shown by the plaintiff in order to hold them liable for damages.

Pedestrian accidents can also be caused by pedestrians who:

• Ignore the walk signal at an intersection and enter when it’s unsafe
• Fail to use crosswalks
• Dart in front of a vehicle

Alabama is a contributory negligence state, meaning if the pedestrian in addition to the vehicle’s operator shares some degree of fault, the pedestrian is then barred from claiming compensation.

Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries

The severity of common pedestrian accident injuries depends on the size of the vehicle, rate of speed, and the area of impact. Common injuries include:

• Severe cuts and lacerations
• Internal bleeding
• Leg and knee injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Torn ligaments
• Nerve damage
• Broken bones

• 5,376 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in 2015, a 9.5 % increase from the 4,910 pedestrian fatalities in 2014. This is the highest number of pedestrians killed annually since 1996.
• On average a pedestrian was killed nearly every 1.6 hours and injured more than every 7.5 minutes in traffic crashes.
• Pedestrian deaths accounted for 15 percent of all traffic fatalities.
• 26% of pedestrian fatalities occurred from 6 to 8:59 p.m.
• More than 21% of the children, 14 and younger, killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians.
• More than 70% of the pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2015 were males.
• Driver and/or Pedestrian alcohol involvement was reported in 48 percent of all fatal pedestrian crashes in 2015.

These latest accident statistics for 2015 were reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.