Fort Lauderdale is one of the most dangerous cities to drive in. Whether you the driver, passenger, or even a pedestrian, there is always the lingering feeling that you may get hurt. That is not wrong however. In the USA in general, there is approximately one pedestrian accident every 7 minutes. And every two hours, a victim of a pedestrian accident dies. With these statistics, how could a regular person NOT be wary of the roads? 

Drivers in Fort Lauderdale are crazy as is. Even in a car, you are likely to get severely injured. Now imagine without any protection and just getting hit head on. 

How To Avoid Pedestrian Accidents

To put it frankly, the best way to not get into a pedestrian accident is to not walk. But that’s not possible. Especially during times like the coronavirus, walking has become the quintessential way to exercise. 

So how do we stay safe while we walk on the streets?

1. Walk in a familiar neighborhood. Not only are cars going to drive slower in neighborhoods, but because you know the neighborhood you will be able to navigate better through the streets. 
2. Stay away from big roads. Any road with more than 3 lanes is too wide. There will be cars that drive way past the speed limit and that can cause cars to maybe hit the curb or get into accidents that can become collateral damage to you. 
3. Be careful when crossing the intersections. Sometimes, cars disregard the pedestrian crossing zone. This can lead them to hit you if you cross the intersections too quickly. The best safety precaution in precautions is to wait for all cars to stop, look both directions and look out for possibly oncoming traffic. 

Although these won’t stop the driver from driving recklessly, they will help YOU to be safe and stay on the right side of the law. Here are things you SHOULD NOT do while you are going for your walk.

1. Jaywalk. I can’t stress this enough. Even if you don’t see any traffic, just cross the street through the crosswalks. Do not jaywalk because if you get injured while jaywalking and the driver was following the laws, it will be very hard to prove that you were doing your part to be safe since you were jaywalking and breaking the laws. 
2. Not wait for the walking signal. The walking signal is there for a reason. Please follow the signals just to start walking 5 seconds earlier. Saving those 5 seconds is not worth the possible accident. If a car hits you, there is a good chance that you may be debilitated for a very long time. This is something that no one wants nor should they deal with it. 

Who Is Responsible for a Pedestrian Accident?

Pedestrian accidents are a little more complicated than the regular car accident. 

There are more factors in play than just Driver A and Driver B.

Sometimes, the driver is under the employment of another company. 

So for example, the driver of a semi-truck under the ownership of Home Depot. 

Does this mean that the fault COULD be placed on the pedestrian?

If the pedestrian was being negligent and jaywalking or simply not following the rules and laws, then yes there is a chance that there will be shared fault, but not to the degree of car accidents. In almost all pedestrian accidents, the driver of the vehicle will take most of the fault since a vehicle is considered an inherently dangerous thing. 

This doesn’t mean you should just walk like you own the world. Remember, you want to really avoid all injuries possible. There is a joke that people want to get run over or hit by a car to get their college tuition or debts paid off, but that is not a joke. You could possibly lose your life. 

What Do I Lose From a Pedestrian Accident?

Pedestrian accidents are probably one of the deadliest accidents out of every category. The loss can be catastrophic and possibly life changing. Some of the things that could happen are:

• Loss in quality of life
• Extraordinary medical bills
• Life-threatening and possibly deadly injuries
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage
• Lost wages
• Getting fired or laid off work
• And possibly more….

Contact A Personal Injury Lawyer From FLL Accident Lawyers

Our team is here to serve you. Our goal is not only to make sure that you are financially compensated for your losses, but to make sure that you are healthy and medically cleared to go back to living your best life. 

We offer FREE consultation that will provide the beginning phases of how we can help YOU get your financial compensation. From there, leave it to our team. They have decades of experience and won hundreds of cases for our clients. You are our number one priority.