Yesterday morning, September 20, as my wife and I pulled up to our favorite bagel restaurant, New York Bagel & Bialy, on Touhy Rd. in Skokie, we were in shock with what we saw:   a car had driven through the glass storefront of the bagel restaurant, and there was a person lying on the sidewalk in agony, with blood dripping from his forehead.  Police and emergency medical personnel eventually arrived to the scene to care for the injured person.

The accident involved a relatively common factual scenario with motor vehicle accidents:  a pedestrian hit by a car, resulting in significant injuries to the pedestrian.  To speak with a top-rated Chicago car accident lawyer with experience representing pedestrian, passenger and driver victims of car accidents, call Passen Law Group at (312) 527-4500 for a free consultation.

According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Pedestrian Safety Program”, nearly 5,000 pedestrians were killed and 70,000 pedestrians injured  in traffic accidents in the United States in 2007.  To put that into perspective, a pedestrian is injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes and killed in a traffic accident every 113 minutes.

Somewhat surprisingly,  most pedestrian fatalities occurred at non-intersection locations in normal weather locations.  Less surprisingly, most pedestrian deaths occurred at night, in urban areas, and during the weekend.  In nearly half of the pedestrian-vehicle accidents, alcohol was involved — either for the driver or the pedestrian.

The NHTSA mentions several safety reminders to prevent pedestrian-vehicle accidents from occurring:

• Drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing the street in marked or unmarked crosswalks.  Still, pedestrians must be careful crossing at various dangerous intersections where the failure to yield right-of-way often occurs, such as where drivers turn onto another street and a pedestrian is in their path;
• Pedestrians should cross the street at a designated crosswalk, and look both ways before crossing;
• Pedestrians should maintain their visibility at night by carrying a flashlight or wearing retro-reflective clothing to highlight body movement;
• Pedestrians should walk on the sidewalk where possible.  Alternatively, where walking on the street, pedestrians should walk facing traffic.

Drivers and pedestrians should stay mindful of these safety recommendations to prevent accidents, such as the pedestrian-car accident described above, from occurring.  In car accidents involving a pedestrian hit by a car, it is critical to contact a top car accident attorney.  To consult with a top injury lawyer with Passen Law Group, call us at (312) 527-4500.