According to the United States Department of Transportation data, an average of over 60,000 pedestrians are injured in accidents with vehicles in the United States each year. The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) published a study that showed most pedestrian injuries occur at night.
If you are injured a Clayton County pedestrian accident attorney at Shane Smith Law can review the incident and advise you of your legal rights.
According to a report by a Canadian company that manufactures parking lot safety devices, there are five parking lot areas where pedestrians are most at risk:
- Store entrances—These are high-traffic areas for pedestrians and sometimes are not marked with pedestrian crossing lines. Frequently, pedestrians are carrying purchases, pushing unwieldy market baskets, and drivers may be inattentive.
- Parking lot entry/exit points—These may be off the main thoroughfare where traffic is moving at high speeds. Multiple cars entering or exiting may be following a car in front of them and not paying attention to pedestrians. Vehicles that are exiting may be more focused on merging into traffic than on watching for pedestrians.
- Long roadways—Drivers have a tendency to increase their speed, even in a parking lot, on a long stretch that has no traffic controls such as stop signs or speed bumps. Additionally, pedestrians would not have a carefully marked crossing area on a long stretch.
- Intersections—These tend to be congested areas where drivers pay more attention to other cars and less attention to pedestrians.
- Crosswalks—Many lots do not have carefully marked crosswalks.
Injured pedestrians may be able to file negligence claims for their injuries. Claims may be filed against not only a negligent driver but also a property owner or municipal agency for not maintaining a safe parking lot.
Victims should seek the assistance of a Clayton County pedestrian accident attorney to protect their rights by securing police reports, eyewitness testimony, and physical evidence and to deal with insurance representatives. Victims should call Shane Smith Law for a free legal consultation.