Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

There’s an interesting photo posted on the NewTimes. It’s a picture of an alligator crossing the street in a local South Florida neighborhood.

It’s not that it’s an alligator in the road that’s drawing attention of residents in the area, but it’s the fact that the alligator is properly using the crosswalk. Crosswalks are something that may seem foreign at times. Unfortunately, neither drivers nor pedestrians are staying on the lookout for one another and are both traveling like they own the road.

The picture was shared on Facebook by Bay News 9 and it’s getting quite the response. It was noted that the gator has a brain that’s the same size as about three olives, but still it was smart enough to use the crosswalk. Many in the area are wondering why local pedestrians aren’t doing the same.

“Next time you’re thinking about running diagonally across a Broward Boulevard intersection…think like a gator,” says NewTimes.

The gator may be on to something. Our Broward County pedestrian accident attorneys understand that pedestrians in the area have become pretty comfortable with walking the streets. Many of them even feel like they own the roadway, as if cars are catering to their every move. The truth of the matter is that cars aren’t always playing the same game. Many times, drivers aren’t paying attention to pedestrians. Walkers and bikers in the area are at extreme risks for accidents when they fail to travel defensively and when they’re not keeping an eye on traffic.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, about 17 percent of the state’s traffic fatalities were of pedestrians in 2008. Statistics with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle (DHSMV) reveal that the number of pedestrian fatalities may have hit a 10-year low in 2008, but the number of pedestrians injured in these same accidents actually increased. In fact, Broward County was ranked as one of the top counties in the entire state for pedestrian fatalities. In 2008, there were more than 500 pedestrians killed and another 8,000 injured in the state of Florida.

When you talk about drinking in traffic accidents you would naturally think of drinking and driving. Did you know that more than 36 percent of pedestrians that were killed in 2008 had been drinking?

It’s the same thing with distractions. You’d likely think distracted driving. But the truth of the matter is that distractions drastically affect pedestrians, too. You need all of your attention on your surroundings when walking through South Florida, your safety relies on it. Be a safer walker and follow the rules of the road, stay alert and stay sober! Don’t rely on the habits of drivers to keep you safe. Be a proactive pedestrian and take safety into your own hands!
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Florida pedestrians are some of the most endangered in the country.

As The New York Times put it in an article last year:
“Any pedestrian in Florida knows, walking in this car-obsessed state can be as tranquil as golfing in a lightning storm.”

And yet, less-than-accurate information is being peddled to the media about who is most frequently at-fault in pedestrian deaths and injuries in Vero Beach and beyond.

Our Vero Beach car accident attorneys know that Florida communities earned the top 4 slots in the ranking of most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians last year. Orlando-Kissimmee ranked first, followed by Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, and then Jacksonville in third, followed by Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach. Those are national rankings – meaning our pedestrians are at even higher risk than those in New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago.

In a comprehensive study conducted by Transportation for America, it was found the state often lacks adequate sidewalks, and further that drivers tend to be more careless and aggressive.

And yet, conclusions from a new study originating from the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital have been published by various media outlets. The study essentially blames pedestrians’ use of headphones as a catalyst for the crashes that lead to their injury and death.

The Times Union, in New York, for example, published the findings that in a five-year span, the number of headphone-wearing pedestrians who were killed tripled. Sure, that sounds like a startling figure at first.

The researchers were essentially saying that pedestrians who decided to enjoy music along their route were putting themselves at greater risk. No mention was made of those careless drivers who struck them, many of whom were likely also blaring their stereos or were otherwise distracted.

But let’s look a little closer at the numbers being used here. Researchers pointed to 16 deaths that fit this scenario in 2004-2005. Then they looked at numbers from 2010-2011, and found 47 deaths that fit that same pattern.

Yes, that means the numbers tripled, but in fact, it’s a very miniscule number of the total pedestrian deaths and injuries every year. Consider that between 2000 and 2009, more than 47,000 pedestrians were killed in the U.S.

As pointed out in a recent blog by Transportation for America’s Stephen Lee Davis, that means the number of deaths the University of Maryland researchers are talking about accounts for 0.03 percent of all pedestrian deaths.

“Spending our time focused intently on this tiny aspect of pedestrian deaths is like coming across a person who’s been stabbed in the chest, and worrying about finding the Band-Aid you need to patch the scrape on his elbow,” Davis wrote.

Our Vero Beach car accident attorneys agree: Blaming the victim gets us nowhere.
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Our West Palm Beach pedestrian accident attorneys want you to know that today is International Walk to School Day. This yearly event started back in 1997, and is designed to raise awareness about safer roadways and safer pedestrian habits among children.

In 2002, there were more than 3 million people who participated in the event, with every state joining in to conduct activities and walks to help raise awareness. Because of International Walk to School Day and Safe Routes to School programs, the federal government has allotted a significant amount of money to be distributed to local and state governments to help fund safe-walking programs and pedestrian-safer roadways.

In 2009, there were approximately 1,300 youngsters under the age of 15 who were killed in traffic-related pedestrian accidents in Pompano Beach and elsewhere. Another 179,000 individuals in this age group were injured in the same types of incidents. International Walk to School Day is a good time to increase awareness about the presence of these young pedestrians and to reduce their risks for injury.

Schools participating in the 2011 International Walk to School Day:

-Grassy Waters Elementary School

-Charles R. Drew Elementary School

-Norwood Elementary School

-Virginia A. Boone Highland Oaks Elementary School

-Verde Elementary School

-Whispering Pines Elementary School

International Walk to School Day promotes the four E’s; education, enforcement, encouragement and engineering. Education refers to creating programs and activities that help children to learn safe-walking habits. Encouragement means helping children to want to follow safe, regular and healthy walking habits. Enforcement has to do with making sure that law enforcement officials enforce the current traffic laws and posted speed limits, especially in areas where young pedestrians are present. Encouragement efforts can be executed through public relations efforts, regular announcements, special events and incentive programs. Through the last “E,” engineering, the campaign urges traffic departments to upgrade roadways, signs, road lighting and sidewalks. Enhancing these road characteristics can help to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety for residents statewide.

Parents are urged to talk with children about how to be safe when walking. Tips should include: looking both ways before crossing the street; never running across the street; wearing bright-colored clothing during evening and early morning hours; and making eye contact with drivers before crossing the roadway. Walking to school is a task that requires responsibility and maturity, so parents are urged to discuss the dangers and the importance of safety during each walk to school.

Effectively reducing the risks of child pedestrian accidents means that we need to continue to teach our young ones safe traveling habits. Make it a regular topic of conversation in your household. Without concerned parents’ involvement, young pedestrians may be unable to comprehend the dangers of traffic. We can all chip in to help keep school-aged pedestrians safe and injury-free on our roadways.
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My Fox Tampa Bay reported recently about the near tragic pedestrian accident on Florida Avenue. The female pedestrian was struck by a car while crossing the street. The driver fled from the scene but was tracked down by police after a witness called 911, followed the escaping vehicle, and gave directions to dispatch for the police to track him down.

It’s a problem across Florida. But nowhere is it more accute than the Fort Lauderdale-Miami region.

Pedestrian accidents in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere occur far too frequently but being the victim of a hit-and-run accident is inexcusable. Medical costs associated with pedestrian accidents can be overwhelming so contacting a Palm Beach pedestrian accident lawyer to fight for the compensation you deserve is the first step to making a full recovery both physically and financially.

Transportation for America recently released the 2011 pedestrian safety report. The Dangerous by Design 2011 report indicates that Florida contains the top 4 most dangerous metro areas which include: Orlando-Kissimmee, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Jacksonville and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach.

From 2000 through 2009, almost 48,000 pedestrians have been killed in the United States. This is equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing once a month over the course of a 10-year period. It is also reported that another 688,000 pedestrians have been injured in motor vehicle accidents during the same time period which equates to someone being struck every 7 minutes by a vehicle of some sort.

Our region remains one of the most dangerous parts of the state. From 2000-2009, Broward County reported 463 pedestrian fatalities, Hillsborough County reported 375 walkers killed on roadways, and Miami-Dade County reported 753 pedestrian fatalities during that time period. Florida’s overall Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) is 182.8 which is top in the nation.

Much blame is being put on state departments for not putting the resources towards pedestrian safety and improving ways to create a safe alternative for walkers. Of the federal funds available to state departments, only about 1.5 percent actually gets allocated toward projects that would improve pedestrian safety on roadways.
Most pedestrian deaths are deemed as ‘accidents’ but the truth of the matter is they are all considered preventable. A common denominator for most pedestrian accidents is that they occur on poorly designed roadways or streets manufactured for speeding traffic. From 2000-2009, 67 percent of the total pedestrian fatalities occurred on federal-aid roadways where something could be done by the state to make them safer.

Transportation for America is offering the following recommendations for the next federal transportation spending bill:

-Keep the two largest funding resources for bike and pedestrian safety, Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School programs in tact that Congress is considering eliminating.

-A national complete streets policy should be put in place in which federally funded projects should take into account all roadway users including pedestrians, bicyclists, children, adults and disabled individuals.

-Create a network of sidewalks, trails and bicycle paths that residents can use throughout a community which would keep them from sharing roadways with vehicles.

-Federal, state and local governments should set goals to spend Highway Safety funding entirely, rather than a small percentage, on pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclist and motorist safety.

-Hold states accountable for the improvements being made (or lack thereof) to create a safer environment as well as a more active population.
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It is evident that pedestrians are at high risk in our state so motorists need to keep a watchful and use extra caution in areas where pedestrians are prevalent.
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From Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce, to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, pedestrian accidents are a year-round danger in South Florida. In fact, NBC2 reports that Orlando is the worst city in the nation for pedestrian accidents.

The Florida Highway Patrol also reports hit-and-run accidents are occurring with increasing frequency. Troopers recorded a total of 691 hit-and-run reports for the month of December alone. Our Port St. Lucie car accident attorneys are frequently asked whether a victim should bother to consult an attorney in cases where hit-and-run causes injury or property damage. We believe strongly that legal representation is your best option for protecting your rights in such cases, as well as those cases in which an uninsured motorists accident causes serious or fatal injury.

In cases where the driver is identified, it may be possible to file a claim against his or her personal assets, or against the insurance policies in place on other vehicles in the household. You may also be entitled to collect damages from your own insurance carrier.

Pedestrian accidents in South Florida may also involve a hit-and-run driver, either because a driver was intoxicated, lacked a driver’s license or insurance, or had other reasons for not stopping at the scene of the crash.

The recent ranking of Orlando as worst in the nation for pedestrian accidents by Transportation for America is not surprising. Millions of tourists and year-round nice weather are both leading contributors to the pedestrian accident problems in Orlando and elsewhere in South Florida.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports Florida pedestrian accidents claimed 490 lives in 2008 — more than anywhere in the nation except California.

About 1 in 10 of the nation’s pedestrian accidents occur in Florida.

Florida cities took the top four spots. Orlando was followed by Tampa, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville.
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The bus driver blamed for a Palm Beach school bus accident has twice been disciplined and has received three speeding tickets in his three years as a bus driver for the school district, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

The 54-year-old driver struck a 17-year-old as he was crossing Seminole Pratt-Whitney Road, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The youth was listed in fair condition at S. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach on Thursday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than half of all fatal accidents involving school buses are pedestrian accidents or accidents that occur while a passenger is getting on or off the bus. It is incumbent upon school districts and busing companies to be proactive in protecting the safety and welfare of passengers and the public, and that includes properly monitoring the driving records of bus drivers.

Our Palm Beach injury lawyers note it is the second bus accident in Palm Beach this week. On Wednesday, a school bus was involved in an accident with a car at Boynton Beach Boulevard and Jog Road.
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