Iowa Pedestrian Injuries and Deaths - News Roundup Continued... eye contact and freeway walking

Today we continue with the pedestrian-car-truck-bus-train collision news items that have been sitting around in my email box. Our goal is to learn more about how to protect ourselves as pedestrians. In other words how not to get struck, catastrophically injured or killed (become a fatality) as a result of a bus, car, truck, motorcycle, train, police car or some other motor vehicle striking the pedestrian.  There are so many pedestrian accidents just since the first of the year. I certainly can tell its spring soon to be summer. As lawyer you don’t want to see me and I don’t want you coming into my office. Almost thirty years of doing this kind of work has brought me to the conclusion there aren’t too many lawyers or attorneys, there are far too many accidents.  

Today we’ll look at three additional news items that each provides a theme or reason (cause) as to why pedestrians get struck so much.

Salt Lake City, Utah, March 2009 – Back to Salt Lake where we have a 53-year-old man steps out from behind a parked truck, when an oncoming driver looks away, swerves and strikes the man causing his death.  Police point to speed of the car and inattention of the driver are partially to blame. In this case it seems we have a little fault all the way around. Notice the pedestrian and driver never made eye contact where there is that moment of recognition that each knows of the other’s presence. If the pedestrian doesn’t have the driver’s attention or acknowledgement that he knows the pedestrian is there, then the pedestrian shouldn’t assume the driver sees him. On the other hand if they did make eye contact neither maintained that contact as was indicated by the investigating officer.

Willis, Texas – Walking on the interstate highway is never a good idea. In this instance a pedestrian walking on an Interstate Highway 45 was struck and killed around 12:30 Sunday morning. This section of the interstate was described as a desolate stretch of the freeway.  Drivers don’t expect pedestrians on the interstate highway system. That means that pedestrians need to be extra cautious about their movements. Quick movements don’t work in a pedestrians favor.

Lakeland, Florida, March 7, 2009 – In this mishap an unidentified man, not carrying his wallet, was struck and killed by a 2000 Mitsubishi car, while trying to cross the street in Lakeland, Florida. The accident occurred around 7:10 p.m. The car was driving south so the sun wouldn’t likely be a factor. A Mitsubishi is a low car, at least some models and it makes driving them difficult. Speed could be a factor as well as the pedestrian running quickly from a side angle.  For some drivers their peripheral vision isn’t what it was when they were younger. Pedestrians crossing the street and walking perpendicular to oncoming traffic need to pay particular attention to the driver’s face and eyes. Where are they looking? Are they acknowledging the pedestrian’s presence?

That’s it for today. Tomorrow we will be back with either a pedestrian collision or another Iowa news item about personal injury and collisions/wrecks/accidents.