Whether it is walking to school, the bus stop, or a friend’s house, it is important that your child knows proper safety techniques to ensure they are walking safe. Practicing safe walking is the best way to protect your child from being involved in a serious accident that leaves them injured. If they should be involved in such an incident, there are skilled New Jersey injury lawyers that can assist you. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2009 there were 244 pedestrian accident fatalities that were children 14 or younger. Of all fatal traffic accidents involving children, these pedestrian accidents accounted for about one-fifth. It was also reported that in 2009 there were an additional 13,000 children 14 or younger injured in pedestrian accidents. Safe Walking Tips for Children While the number of kids getting hurt in these kinds of incidents has lowered over the last decade,… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Pedestrian Injury
Subscribe to Pedestrian Injury RSS FeedBack-To-School Reminders From Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers: Pedestrian Safety
Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian InjuryIf you are lucky enough to live close enough to your school to walk, you can avoid the traffic and have a nice walk with your child to school and then hear about their day on the way home. However, if for some reason you are not going to walk with them, you need to make sure they know the rules of being a safe pedestrian. You can teach these rules to them during your walks to school so that when the time comes, they will always follow the rules when they are by themselves. Sidewalks. Always walk on the sidewalk when one is available. If there is not a sidewalk, you should walk on the shoulder of the road, as far away from traffic as possible, facing traffic. Explain this is just the opposite of riding a bike, since bike riders need to ride with traffic. Cross at intersections…. Continue Reading
Chicagoans Involved In Pedestrian Traffic Accidents Tend To Be Young & Male
Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian InjuryThe Chicago Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) analysis of the pedestrian crashes between 2005-2009 broke down who was involved in these crashes by age, gender and ethnicity. The data provided some interesting trends in who were most likely to victims of a motor vehicle crash as a pedestrian. Age Statistics for Victims of Pedestrian Accidents Children were found to be the most vulnerable group of the pedestrians on Chicago streets. Not only were they involved in more accidents, they were also in the highest fatality and serious injury groups. However, the amount of children being harmed in these crashes is decreasing. Teenagers highest group. The age group of 15 to 18 years of age had the highest number of members involved in pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes with 194.6 per 100,000. Teenagers were also the highest fatality group with 29.8 per 100,000. Younger children runner-up. The 2nd highest group was the group containing… Continue Reading
Orange County Freeways Study Finds is Home to some of the Most Congested Nationwide
Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian InjuryThe City of Angels’ neighbor to the south, is actually one of two worst places to drive in California as far as congestion. According to reports, a study has found that Orange County is home to some of the most congested Freeways. According to an Inrix Inc.
Backing Up Vehicles: Will Cameras Prevent Injuries To Pedestrians?
Posted in Bicycle Accidents, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian Injury, Uninsured Motorist ClaimsThe mention of a pedestrian injury usually conjures up images of a driver hitting a pedestrian with the front of their vehicle. Though far less common, backing up vehicle injuries remain a source of significant injury to pedestrians– young and old. An alarming 17,000 people are injured every year when vehicles ‘back’ into them. Backing up vehicles also account for an average 288 pedestrian deaths each year when vehicles back over pedestrians in the rear of the vehicle. While keeping a cautious lookout can surely help prevent some of these car accidents from occurring, the fact remains that vehicle design compounded with certain angles in which pedestrians may be positioned— gives many drivers very little opportunity to detect what is in back of them. A proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration aims to reduce the alarming number of ‘backing up’ accidents by requiring the installation of built… Continue Reading
New Safety Program Aims To Reduce Number Of Pedestrians Hit By Vehicles In Chicago
Posted in Pedestrian InjuryMore than 10 pedestrians are are struck by vehicles in the Chicagoland-area every day. Statistics tell us that many of these pedestrians suffer serious injuries or death in these incidents. In an attempt to improve pedestrian safety at busy crosswalks around schools, senior citizen centers and hospitals, The Chicago Department of Transportation has installed buckets containing brightly colored flags for pedestrians to use while crossing the street. The flags are intended to get drivers’ attention while the pedestrians cross the street in areas without traffic signals. The addition of street crossing flags to crosswalks is the most recent addition to the City of Chicago’s driver safety program, “It’s Up To You” which is intended to make drivers more aware of the dangers posed to pedestrians. As part of the program, city officials placed mannequins near downtown intersections with t-shirts reading, ” One of 32 pedestrians killed last year in Chicago.” … Continue Reading
Don’t Bother Giving Statements To Insurance Companies After An Accident
Posted in Community News, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian InjuryIn the days following a personal injury accident, many injured people receive an outpouring of calls and messages from friends, family and…. insurance adjusters. While it may be easy to give the insurance adjuster a return call while in the call returning mode, the fact remains that insurance adjusters are not your friends. From a personal perspective, insurance adjusters and the investigators they commonly associate with may be good, fine people. However, as soon as a car accident, fall, or any other type of personal injury occurs, their interest is directly opposed to yours. Truth be told, the insurance companies for responsible parties have a job to do in terms of defending their insured’s rights. What many injured people fail to appreciate is that by taking an oral or written statement from you, they are actually in the process of assembling a case against you! That’s right, the… Continue Reading
80% Of Vehicle-Pedestrian Accidents Occur Within Crosswalks
Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian InjuryAfter reading the Chicago Tribune’s article “City Study: Chicago pedestrians in crosswalks are in cross hairs“, I’m definitely going to step-up my level of caution before crossing the street. Once again, I’m continually impressed with how drivers continue to ignore pedestrians— even when they are crossing the street within the crosswalks. After evaluating traffic data from 2005 through 2009, a staggering 80% of all traffic accidents involving pedestrians who were injured or killed occurred when the person was within the seemingly safe confines of the crosswalk. While pedestrian deaths, have declined fairly significantly from 1994 to 2009, the total number of traffic accidents involving pedestrians remains fairly consistent at around 3,000 per year within the confines of the city. Other data tidbits from the Chicago Tribune article: Hit-and-run accidents account for 33% of all pedestrian accidents Hit-and-run accidents account for 41% of pedestrian deaths Teens come the largest segment… Continue Reading
Are Facebook & Twitter To Blame For Car Accidents?
Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian InjuryIs it really necessary to tell your friends where you’re driving? Or, what about the fantastic new Lady Gaga song? What about the spicy hot dog with cheese you had for lunch? Maybe I’m a bit out-dated (though you can still following the Child Injury Laws Blog on Facebook), but I really don’t have any urgency to share my instantaneous thoughts with the world– particularly when I’m on the road. Apparently, I’m in the minority. A recent Medill Report Chicago, article by Jeff Beck, “Facebook status: I’m in the car” detailed how many car manufacturers are adding “in-car connectivity” to their new models previewed at the Chicago Auto Show. As if driving is not enough stimulation, the new products allow drivers to access social networks, e-mail and text while driving. Even if some of these functions can be carried out via voice commands, it seems as though the new features… Continue Reading
Chicago Drivers Must Stop For Pedestrains In Crosswalk…. Or Pay Up
Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian InjuryUnknown to many, a new Illinois law took effect several months ago that forces drivers to stop for pedestrians within the confines of a crosswalk. The new law is far more restrictive that the former law merely required drivers to ‘yield’ to pedestrians within crosswalks. Similarly, the new crosswalk law applies to all intersections, not just those controlled by traffic signals. I was glad to see an article by Jon Halkevitch in the Chicago Tribune regarding efforts by the Chicago Police Department to ramp up enforcement of the new law. Just last month, Chicago officers wrote 127 tickets to drivers who failed to yield to pedestrians in undercover sting operations where plain-clothes officers pose as plain-jane citizens trying to cross the street. As the new law takes hold, I certainly hope it effectively reduces the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths in Illinois. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation:… Continue Reading
Cars In Parking Lots Pose A Real Danger To Child- Pedestrians
Posted in Pedestrian InjuryOver the past few weeks, I’ve been spending a lot more time shopping than I normally do. With a recent move, I’ve been hitting the Home Depot – Container Store – Bed Bath & Beyond circuit pretty hard. In addition to doing my part to jump start the economy, I’ve noticed just how dangerous the parking lots in these places can be for adult and child pedestrians alike. Weird aisle angles, lots of cluttered shopping carts and people in a hurry to get an item on sale– are just a few of the reasons parking lots remain a treacherous area for pedestrians. Unlike the well marked streets in our towns and cities, parking lots really seem to take a page from the ‘wild west’ where its every person for themselves. Nonetheless, the even without many of the commonly marked street safety signs and signals, drivers must continue to use their… Continue Reading
Uninsured Motorist Coverage Can Help Children Who Have Been The Victim Of Hit-And-Run Auto Accidents
Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Pedestrian Injury, Uninsured Motorist ClaimsLast week I met with the family of a seven-year-old boy who received horrific orthopedic injuries (fractured tibia and fibula with de-gloving of his leg) he sustained due to being hit by a car as he was crossing the street with friends. The driver completely ignored a traffic signal before hitting the boy and racing away before their plates could be written down. Several months after the incident– and several leg and arm surgeries later, the boy’s parents called to tell me about the incident and inquired as to what if anything they could do for their son who has incurred significant medical bills and will need extensive future medical attention. While the lack of a responsible party in a situation like the one above may appear problematic from a tort-recovery standpoint, this is exactly the type of situation that uninsured motorist covered was intended for. Unbeknownst to most drivers, they… Continue Reading