Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

Earlier this month CBS 3 reported on the death of a pedestrian who did not use the crosswalk while crossing the street.

Our Boston personal injury lawyers know that as the weather improves so does the risk for a Boston pedestrian accident.

A young woman was killed after being hit by a van on State Street. The accident occurred just before the Boston Road and Berkshire Avenue split around 8:30 pm on a Friday night.

It appeared that the woman was not in the crosswalk. The police reported that road and weather conditions were poor at the time of the crash. It was raining and the roads were slippery when the accident occurred.

The van that hit the woman stopped after the collision and police indicated that alcohol did not contribute to the crash.

The victim did not have ID on her when she was hit.

This tragedy illustrates an important safety tip: pedestrians should always use crosswalks. They are designed to alert drivers to look for pedestrians. Crossing in the middle of the block is dangerous because the driver is not expecting to see a pedestrian. If a crosswalk is not available, never cross at a bend or a hill in the road. You must always be able to see approaching traffic. Always look left, right, and left again before crossing and move quickly but don’t run across the street.

Here are more tips to be a safer pedestrian:

-Sidewalks are designed for pedestrians, use them. The curb is actually a small safety barrier between you and vehicles.

-If sidewalks aren’t available walk facing traffic on the left side of the street. Facing traffic gives you more time to react.

-Wear retro-reflective materials, which can be seen up to 500 feet at night. The color white can be seen up to 180 feet and dark clothing can only be seen from about 80 feet away. Carry flashlights or reflectors when walking at night.

-Pay attention and don’t wear ear buds or headphones. Be aware of your surroundings.

-Walk defensively because drivers don’t always pay attention. Make eye contact with drivers; don’t ever assume they see you. Though pedestrians usually have the right-of-way, better to be safe than injured and right.

-Refrain from crossing the street intoxicated. Poor judgment, reflexes and balance can lead to a pedestrian accident.

-If you are heading out for an early morning jog or walk, bring ID with you in case you are involved in a serious accident.
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Pedestrians doing their holiday shopping on the city streets of Boston should use extra caution this holiday season. Boston pedestrian accidents are a concern every day, but especially this time of year when the numbers of cars and people increases with holiday shopping.

Boston Public Health Commission reports that on any given day, there are over 2 million residents, workers and visitor pedestrians in Boston. This equates to a tremendous amount of foot traffic.

The BPHC discovered a few interesting facts:

-Pedestrians jaywalk 1/3 of the time.

-88% of the time pedestrians don’t wait for the ‘walk’ signal.

-Only 5% of drivers don’t yield to pedestrians when they have the right of way.

-When pedestrians cross against a light only 50% of the time drivers will yield to them. Few drivers slow down for jaywalkers.

The 2009 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report confirms that Massachusetts pedestrian fatalities were significantly lower in 2009 at 48 than the previous 4 years where the recorded fatalities ranged between 61-76.

What may have caused this decrease? In 2008, Pedestrian fatalities matched a 5 year high of 76. As a result, Massachusetts police needed to beef up patrols to enforce pedestrian (and bicycle) traffic laws. They needed money in order to do this so a grant was applied for and awarded. Almost $100,000 in grants were given to police departments throughout Massachusetts.

This money allows for overtime to be paid to extra officers to enforce pedestrian (and bicycle) safety. This money is adding more police presence to the streets to issue tickets to violators and to educate the public. The effort has worked, only two counties had an increase in pedestrian fatalities in 2009.

Some helpful tips to be safer when walking busy city streets:

-Check in all directions multiple times before crossing, and keep checking until you are safely across.

-Pay attention, don’t be on a cell phone and take the earphones off.

-Always obey the traffic signs and signals.

-When waiting to cross don’t stand behind parked cars or other stationary objects.

-Make eye contact with the driver; never assume a vehicle will stop.

-When possible use crosswalks and intersections to cross the street.
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A disabled man has died in a New Bedford, Massachusetts pedestrian accident after his motorized wheelchair was dragged beneath a van at a busy city intersection Friday afternoon, the Boston Herald reported.

While police and authorities at the scene said they did not believe the man’s injuries were life threatening, his family said he died at the hospital. This case illustrates why our Boston personal injury lawyers and Massachusetts wrongful death attorneys are bothered when we see it reported that someone suffered “minor injuries” as the result of an accident.

As the old adage goes, “minor injuries” are injuries that do not happen to you!

Traumatic brain injuries are just one example: While these injuries are very often life threatening, the initial symptoms can takes weeks or even months to progress into a full-blown emergency. In other cases, the extent of a person’s injuries may not be readily apparent in the immediate aftermath of the accident. In other cases, a pre-existing health condition can exacerbate injuries sustained as the result of an accident. These are just a few of the reasons that we encourage those involved in an accident to contact an attorney, document the incident, and take the steps necessary to protect their rights should a claim need to be filed in the months or weeks to come.

Police report the 54-year-old victim was struck while crossing the intersection of Route 6 and Pleasant Street on Friday afternoon. He died at Boston Medical Center’s trauma center at about 11 p.m.
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