A 6-year-old girl was killed when she was hit by a car while on her way to Shasta Elementary School. The young girl was walking with her older sister and her 11-year-old brother when they crossed the intersection of West Edison Street at North Lincoln Avenue. Unfortunately, they never made it across.

Similarly, an eighth-grade middle school student was injured when he was hit by a car in a crosswalk as he headed to school. The student was reportedly being dropped off on the north side of the middle school on West Vine Street near South Ham Lane.

These are examples of common and severe collisions between pedestrians and drivers in California. Approximately 6,616 pedestrians were killed in collisions with automobiles between 2005 and 2014.

Nationally, 70,000 pedestrians suffered injuries in collisions with automobiles in 2015, compared to 61,000 in 2006. That represents a nearly 15 percent increase over a decade, according to pedbikeinfo.org.

Modern automobile safety features have been developed to keep occupants relatively safe during crashes. However, those same protections are obviously unavailable to pedestrians, and pedestrian accidents regularly result in severe injuries. Even so-called minor accidents can result in broken bones, road rash, and even latent injuries that may take days or weeks for pedestrians to manifest.

Watch the video below to learn some road safety tips for pedestrians.

After an accident, your first priority should be to seek medical care. As discussed, pedestrian accident injuries are usually severe and should not be ignored. Even if you believe your injuries are only minor, it is better to err on the side of caution and see a doctor.

Once you have sought medical treatment, you should try to recover as much evidence from the accident scene as possible. This includes finding witnesses who may have seen the accident, getting their contact information, taking pictures of the accident scene, and filing a police report with the proper authorities.

Also, if possible, try to identify the name and contact information of the driver. In the event of a hit and run, police and your Lincoln pedestrian accident lawyer should be able to track down the offending driver through investigative techniques. Any information that you can recall will also help.

If the defendant driver or an insurance representative approaches you before you can speak with an attorney, you should decline to give a statement about the accident and refuse to sign any paperwork they give you regarding the accident and insurance claims until you can sit down with an attorney. Insurance companies act swiftly because they prey on people without experienced legal representation. They want you to agree to a lowball settlement offer or to give a recorded statement so they can mangle your words to reduce or deny your claim. It is essential to avoid this trap. Speak to an experienced Rocklin pedestrian accident lawyer immediately following your accident.

A personal injury lawsuit aims to make you whole again by having the defendant driver pay for your harm and losses so you can get back to 100 percent.

California law allows accident victims to seek compensation for the collision’s harm and losses. The most common damages accident victims recover are medical bills, lost wage payments, and pain and suffering damages.

These damages are, hopefully, recoverable through the driver’s automobile insurance policy. However, in some cases, the driver has insufficient liability coverage to fully compensate you for your harm and losses. Or, even worse, some drivers attempt to flee the scene of a collision hoping to avoid responsibility for the accident. If you are in one of these situations, you will likely need to access the uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage within your auto insurance policy.

Getting hit by a car, truck, SUV, or any other type of vehicle can be catastrophic for the pedestrian. Many people suffer debilitating bodily injuries necessitating weeks or months of rehabilitative care. Some pedestrians never fully recover from the collision. You should hold the driver responsible for their reckless actions by hiring an experienced Lincoln pedestrian accident lawyer.

If you have been injured or a family member was killed in a pedestrian accident, please call our law firm at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.

See our verdicts and settlements page to see how we’ve helped clients obtain maximum compensation for their personal injury and wrongful death cases since 1982.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.16.23] Photo by DepositPhotos.com sb bw [cs 807]}