Pedestrian Injuries in Tampa,
FL Area Car Accidents: Speak to an Attorney about Your
Case
According to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), a pedestrian is killed
in a car accident every 113 minutes in the United States,
and one is injured every 8 minutes. These statistics add
up to more than 70,000 pedestrians injured or killed in
our country annually. Strangely, even though this epidemic
leaves a vast amount of Americans with serious injuries
or worse, the issue does not seem to receive the same
amount of media attention as other deadly auto accidents
such as alcohol related car crashes or SUV rollovers.
Not only are pedestrian car accidents
frequent and deadly, but these accidents tend to involve
children more often than adults. There are two main reasons
for children's vulnerability in pedestrian car accidents.
First, children lack the experience, skills, and awareness
needed to be a savvy pedestrian. Second, parents and caregivers
sometimes overestimate children's ability to handle themselves
around traffic. Sadly, the common parental advice of,
"Look both ways before you cross the street," is not a
universal solution for preventing pedestrian accidents,
whether you're in a busy area like Tampa or in surrounding
communities such as Town 'n' Country, Brandon, Seminole
Heights, Lutz, and St Petersburg.
Pedestrian injuries can happen anywhere
and at any time in the Tampa, Florida area, whether you're
in downtown Tampa on a busy night or you spend most of
your time on your peaceful ranch in Pasco County. Serving
as a Tampa auto accident attorney
for more than 20 years, our law office has fought for
the rights of accident victims throughout the area to
be fairly compensated for their injuries. In doing so,
we have learned that no pedestrian is immune to the possibility
of being hurt in an auto accident in Tampa, Ybor City,
Riverview, Carrollwood, Sun City Center, Dade City, Seffner,
Clearwater, or anywhere else in Florida.
The NHTSA and other agencies report
the following data regarding when, where, and how pedestrian
injuries are most likely to occur, which may give you
some insight about how to avoid this tragedy:
- 40 percent of traffic accident related
pedestrian deaths occur between 4 and 8 p.m.
- 77 percent of car accident related
pedestrian deaths occur at non-intersection locations
- 45 percent of drivers do not come
to a complete stop at stop signs in residential neighborhoods
and school zones—7 percent don't even slow down
- 67 percent of pedestrian fatalities
occur at night
- 73 percent of pedestrian fatalities
occur in urban areas
- 48 percent of pedestrian fatalities
occur on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
It is our hope that, as Tampa, Florida
area residents become more informed about pedestrian car
accidents, they also will learn ways to make our roads
and sidewalks safer for all types of traffic, from cars
to bicycles, walkers to joggers, and skaters to wheelchair-bound
residents.
If you would like more information about
pedestrian car accidents in the Tampa, FL area and the
legal obligation of a negligent party to compensate accident
victims for their injuries, please contact the law firm
of Dale Appell, P.A.
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