Pedestrian accidents can be some of the most dangerous and fatal accidents. Every year people take to the streets, walking peacefully on the sidewalk or in crosswalks when all of a sudden, a collision can cause life-altering or even life-threatening injuries.
Let’s face it; pedestrians do not have the same type of protection that motorists have. There’s no metal frame surrounding them. The risk of a pedestrian sustaining catastrophic injuries is heightened by this simple fact alone. As a result, many of the fatal traffic-related collisions each year involve pedestrians.
Here are some important stats you may want to know:
Nationwide Numbers
In 2015, one pedestrian was injured roughly every seven and a half minutes. Even worse, one pedestrian was killed every 1.6 hours. In total, an estimated 70,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic collisions throughout the United States in 2015. Also, 5,376 pedestrians were killed in the same year. That equals 15% of all traffic fatalities involving pedestrians.
The total traffic crash-related fatalities increased from 32,744 in 2014 to 35,092 in 2015. The same trend existed for pedestrian fatalities which increased from 4,910 to 5,376. A disturbing number when you consider the factors involved.
New York Statistics
New York is home to a large population of pedestrians. The crowded streets often lead more people to walk to reach their destination. As a result, there are many individuals at risk of serious injury should a pedestrian accident occur.
For instance, between 2012 and 2014, there were a total of 497 pedestrian fatalities in New York City alone. These accounted for more than 50% of the total number of traffic-related fatalities. On average, throughout the state, there are roughly 312 deaths involving pedestrians.
Aside from the fatal accidents, there are roughly 3,027 hospitalizations, and 12,506 emergency department visits yearly. These numbers must decrease and it begins with ensuring proper driver safety, and law-abiding when it comes to traffic signs, crosswalks, and traffic signals.
Individuals injured in pedestrian accidents—or the families of victims killed in pedestrian accidents—can take legal action against the responsible party. Our New York pedestrian accident lawyers understand the difficult situation survivors and families are enduring and we work hard to provide you with peace of mind.
When you need legal help, we put our more than 45 years of experience towards helping our clients securing compensation and justice. We know how to utilize the proper evidence to show negligence and help our clients overcome the financial, physical, and emotional hardships they are facing.
Contact our legal team at Loscalzo & Loscalzo, P.C. today.