When someone hears “car accident,” they typically imagine a collision at an intersection between two vehicles, multi-car pileups, and fender benders. However, a high percentage of auto accidents involve pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

Statistically, pedestrian accidents are surprisingly common, and traffic fatality data indicates that California is one of the most dangerous states in the country to be a pedestrian. During only the first half of 2015, over 300 pedestrians were killed in collisions with an automobile while the pedestrian was running, jogging, or walking.

Nationally, an estimated 5,376 pedestrians died in a collision with a motor vehicle. That translates to close to 15 people every day of the year, according to pedbikeinfo.org. If that was not bad enough, that total represents the highest pedestrian fatalities in one year since 1996. Traffic-related deaths fell by nearly 18 percent from 2006 to 2015, but pedestrian deaths jumped by 12 percent during the same period.

Far and away, the most common cause of a collision between a car and a pedestrian is the negligence of the automobile driver negligence. A driver is negligent when he or she has failed to use a reasonable amount of caution that should be expected from a similarly situated driver. Some of the most common types of driver-related negligence include:

• High-speed collisions (speeding and reckless driving)
• Distracted driving (texting or calling while driving)
• Turning crashes (failure to look before turning through an intersection or driveway)
• Low-speed zone collisions (not slowing down through school zones and the like)

A personal injury lawsuit aims to make a victim “whole” and adequately compensate them for the injuries they suffered as a proximate result of a driver’s negligence. This means you can pursue financial restitution for the following harms and losses:

• Medical expenses stemming from the collision: You can be reimbursed for medical costs such as surgery, emergency room bills, physical therapy, and other related expenses.
• Lost wages due to time missed from work (including future wages): If you were forced to miss time due to your injuries, you could seek reimbursement for those lost wages. This includes vacation days and sick leave you may have been forced to use during your recovery.
• Pain and suffering: California law allows an injured pedestrian to pursue damages for the agony and inconvenience associated with the incident and also provides compensation for any long-term emotional trauma resulting from disfiguring scars and other emotional trauma.

If you have been hurt or someone you hold dear has passed away in a pedestrian accident in Fair Oaks or the surrounding area, please call our experienced Fair Oaks pedestrian accident lawyers today at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for compassionate, free and friendly advice.

We have served as an injury lawyer since 1982, helping Fair Oaks residents and individuals throughout Northern California with their personal injury and wrongful death cases.

We are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

See our client reviews on Avvo, Google, and Yelp and our past cases on our Verdicts and Settlements page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 7.8.22] Photo by DepositPhotos.com sb bw [cs 836]}