RISK FACTORS FOR PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS

Accidents can’t be avoided entirely. Every year, pedestrian accidents take hundreds and hundreds of lives in the United States. For example, 4,735 people died in 2013 alone. Every two hours, a pedestrian was killed in a crash. On top of that, over 150,000 pedestrians ended up in the emergency room that year with injuries that were not fatal. Studies have shown that pedestrians are actually one and a half times as likely to die in a car crash on every trip than people in those cars.

However, looking at the risk factors can help people take positive steps to reduce the chances of an accident. Consider the following:

— Just under 20 percent of all of the people killed in these accidents were at least 65 years old. This same age group accounted for about 10 percent of those who were injured.

— Young children are also in danger. For every five children under 14 who passed away in an accident in 2013, one was a pedestrian.

— Alcohol is involved heavily in these accidents. It was noted in just under 50 percent of all deadly accidents.

— The above does not just mean that drivers are drinking. In 34 percent of the deadly accidents, the pedestrian had a blood alcohol concentration over 0.08, which is the legal driving limit. While this is not illegal, it does show the involvement. What was illegal, though, was that 15 percent of the drivers showed a BAC of 0.08 or more.

If you have been hit in a crosswalk and injured, or if a loved one has died in such an accident, you may be entitled to compensation in Pennsylvania.

Source: CDC, “Pedestrian Safety,” accessed Aug. 01, 2016