Advice from a Texas Injury Lawyer – Beware the Rise in Pedestrian Accidents
It’s a story every Texas injury lawyer has heard before. Someone, man or woman, is walking down the street. Maybe there’s an important meeting to attend. Maybe a family member is visiting across town. Maybe the weather is beautiful and work is only a few blocks away. Whatever the circumstances, it doesn’t change what happens next.
Someone driving an automobile fails to yield as John Doe crosses the street. Now, after a loud crash and a long silence, Mr. Doe is fighting for his life – all thanks to a less-than-savvy driver. If you or a loved one has been involved in a pedestrian accident, a personal injury lawyer can help. Contact the Elissa I. Henry Law Firm, PLLC for assistance with your needs.
Statistics and Reports
The vast majority of people read about automobile accidents and think, “That could never happen to me.” But statistics and studies tell another story.
In 2013 alone, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) recorded nearly five hundred pedestrian deaths. This number includes fatalities triggered by automobiles, buses, commercial trucks, and trains alike. Automobiles, however, are responsible for an alarming number of pedestrian accidents.
In 2014, a report published in a Texas Tribune article ranked Houston “the seventh most dangerous city in the nation for people on foot.” It ranked Texas “the tenth most dangerous state for walking commuters, with nearly [four thousand pedestrian deaths between 2003 and 2012.”
Compare those numbers to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and you’ll find Texas was responsible for ten percent of all pedestrian deaths in the nation during those nine years.
In the article, policy analyst Jay Blazek Crossley shared his belief that Houston decisionmakers favor speed over safety. He also claimed that Texas lawmakers, in general, have chosen to invest in toll roads rather than safe urban planning. He would like to see this focus change, protecting those who remain unprotected on the roadways.
Unfortunately, things haven’t been looking up.
According to a separate article published on the Houston Press website in December of 2017, “There are quite a lot of very dangerous intersections in the state of Texas – the entire state isn’t exactly a walker’s paradise – and a handful of them are in Houston.”
There are few things more dangerous to pedestrians than impaired or unfocused drivers. Unlike automobile accidents, where the force is split between two vehicles that weigh several thousand pounds each, pedestrian accidents leave victims unable to defend themselves. This, in turn, leaves at-fault drivers open to personal injury claims filed by Texas personal injury lawyers.
Contact a Texas Personal Injury Lawyer for Assistance in Pedestrian Accidents
While the majority of pedestrians are careful on the roadway, unfortunate things happen when drivers fail to pay attention to their surroundings. If you need to speak with a Texas injury lawyer about a life-altering pedestrian accident, contact the Elissa I. Henry Law Firm, PLLC by calling (512)-766-4529.
