New York Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

Safe walking for New York pedestrians, once something taken for granted, is now becoming a precarious exercise. The number of New York pedestrian accidents yearly is a disconcerting reality. For this reason, New York pedestrian accident lawyers play a significant role in the lives of New York's citizens.

New York has always had large pedestrian traffic and pedestrians' concerns used to be given priority. That is changing quickly though as more New Yorkers are driving and attention is being focused more on drivers' concerns. Cars are displacing the pedestrian from many of the roads. More roads are being built in the city, and open streets and public places are quickly becoming clogged with motor vehicles. Safe walking for pedestrians, once taken for granted, is now becoming something of a precarious exercise.

Nationwide, 5,000 pedestrians die each year as a result of accidents involving motor vehicles, and over 60,000 more are injured. In the state of New York, eight percent of traffic crashes involve pedestrians. Although this percentage may not seem high, the fact is that New York pedestrian accidents usually result in serious injury or death. This is more so in urban New York where the high vehicle and pedestrian traffic exacerbates the chances of a pedestrian accident.

Often driver negligence is the reason. Speeding to make it to his destination, a driver runs a light or fails to yield right of way to a pedestrian crossing the street. Or distracted by the person he's talking to over the cell phone, he fails to see the person in the crosswalk. These and other similar but all too common circumstances account for the thousands of motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians. In the year 2007, there were 15,701 motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians. 277 of these were fatal accidents, killing 279 people.

To you, this may seem like just another statistic but that perspective changes quickly as soon as you or a loved one become part of that statistic. And it's a part of life. Accidents happen.

The majority of New York pedestrian accidents happen to children aged below 16. However, the ones most likely to die from accidents involving a motor vehicle collision are the elderly. The force of the impact of the moving vehicle is the usual source of injury. Others suffer additional injury from striking the ground or some other hard object after being hit by the vehicle. Then there are those who are completely run over by the vehicle. Injuries range from bumps, bruises, broken bones to more serious medical damage such as paralysis of the limbs, spinal cord injuries, brain trauma, coma and death.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of a pedestrian accident, it is vital that you contact one of the many New York pedestrian accident attorneys who make pedestrian rights their career and their advocacy. Handling accidents is a complicated process, especially for one not trained in it. That's why a New York pedestrian accident lawyer is the person to call in the event of a pedestrian accident.

Even if you are quite certain the pedestrian may have been at fault, it still pays to consult with a professional. A New York auto accident lawyer recently negotiated a hefty settlement for a 71-year old woman who had been struck by a van, suffering multiple fractures. Although initial evidence seemed to go against the woman – two witnesses attested that when the woman had started to cross the street, the light had already gone against her – this New York pedestrian attorney was able to argue that even if the light had already turned red for his client, she was already in front of the van when the driver began to move forward. Had he but looked to his left or even to his front, instead of looking at the light to his right before taking his foot off the brake, the accident would not have happened. The bold lawyer refused to settle for less than the full $300,000 insurance policy covering the van. With the trial date a week away, this New York pedestrian attorney was able to get a settlement of $300,000 for his grateful elderly client.

It is to be hoped that you never have to seek the services of a NY pedestrian car accident attorney, but if you find yourself in that displeasing situation, do not hesitate. It can only serve you well.