Miami Pedestrian Injury Attorney | Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein

Common Pedestrian Injuries

In the aftermath of a car-pedestrian collision, police officers often hear the driver’s version of what happened, but the pedestrian who has been struck is usually too injured to say anything at the time of the accident. Our experienced Miami pedestrian accident lawyer has worked with accident reconstructionists and other experts to build the strongest possible case of negligence against the driver or operator for the financial compensation you deserve!

There are very few excuses for striking a pedestrian. In the majority of cases, the driver was either fully or partially at fault. Examples of driver negligence in pedestrian accidents include:

Striking a pedestrian in a crosswalk
Striking a pedestrian when turning
Failing to watch for pedestrians in areas where children and others may gather, such as residential streets, parks, and playgrounds
Striking a pedestrian in a parking lot
Texting or using a cellphone while driving
Drunk driving

Even if you were partially at fault, we can hold the driver accountable for his or her percentage of fault.

What Factors Affect the Severity of a Pedestrian Injury?

Speed of the Vehicle

How fast a vehicle was driving prior to a collision is one of the most important factors in determining how severe resulting injuries will be for any pedestrians who are involved. Generally, as speed increases, pedestrian accidents become much more dangerous for non-motorists, as the impact of the collision will also increase exponentially, resulting in more severe blunt force trauma-related injuries, like broken bones, head injuries, and internal injuries. Some studies have even found that at collision speeds of 30 mph, the risk of fatal injury for a pedestrian is eight times higher than at a speed of 20 mph.

Unfortunately, low speeds are not always a good indicator of how severe a pedestrian’s injuries will be. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), for instance, has found that even when a car is traveling at less than 20 miles per hour, a collision with a pedestrian can still cause serious injuries, some of which could even prove fatal.

Age of the Victim

Age is also an important risk factor in determining the severity of a pedestrian injury. Pedestrian collisions, for instance, are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related fatalities among children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old. This is largely due to the fact that children are much more likely to suffer from traumatic brain injuries and chest and abdominal injuries in pedestrian accidents, which are often fatal. Adults who are involved in pedestrian accidents, on the other hand, are more likely to sustain musculoskeletal injuries, like fractures, which are more easily treated.

Youthful pedestrians are not the only individuals who are at risk of serious injury if involved in a collision with a motorist, as pedestrians who are 65 years of age or older have a lower tolerance to physical trauma and so also tend to sustain more serious injuries than younger victims who were involved in comparable crashes.

Size of the Vehicle

Injury severity for pedestrians is also linked to the size of the vehicle that struck them. The risk of severe injury or death for pedestrians is, for instance, much higher for those who are struck by trucks or vans than by passenger cars. In fact, taller vehicles are generally more dangerous for pedestrians, as they tend to strike a pedestrian above his or her center of gravity, meaning that a person is more likely to be thrown forward and then actually run over by the driver, causing more extensive injuries.

An Experienced Miami Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Collisions between pedestrians and motorists are some of the most dangerous in which a person can be involved, as they almost always result in devastating injuries for the pedestrian. The type and severity of these injuries do, however, depend on a few different factors, some of which can affect liability. To learn more about these factors and how their application to your own case could affect your claim, please reach out to one of our dedicated Florida pedestrian accidents lawyers today.