Bardstown Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Pedestrian-involved accidents are a serious public safety concern and a significant cause of personal injury, both within Kentucky as well as throughout the country.

Many jurisdictions are taking measures to prevent and reduce pedestrian collisions, but this comes as little comfort and relief for the injured pedestrians and their families, especially if the pedestrian is killed.

If you or a loved one were hit as a pedestrian by a motor vehicle in or around Bardstown, one of our experienced Bardstown personal injury lawyers can help fight to obtain the damages that you likely need during this trying time that is personally, physically, and financially draining.

Definition of a Pedestrian

A pedestrian is not always necessarily a person who is walking. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines a pedestrian as any person who is on foot – walking, jumping, running, jogging, or hiking- or a person who is sitting, or lying down. Sometimes, bicyclists, roller skaters, scooter riders, and others are also considered pedestrians, though they are not included in the NHTSA data as pedestrians.

Pedestrian Accident Facts

While not as common as passenger-vehicle crashes, collisions involving pedestrians are some of the most fatal. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,735 pedestrians were killed in 2013 and more than 150,000 injured pedestrians were treated in local emergency rooms across the country. Pedestrians are one and a half times more likely to become a casualty than vehicle passengers.

Most victims of pedestrian accidents are seniors over the age of 65 and children under the age of 14. Because these victims are some of our community’s most vulnerable members, it is especially important to take steps to reduce pedestrian crashes and consult with a pedestrian accident in Bardstown when they do.

Common Causes

Some fairly common factors associated with pedestrian injuries that warrant the attention of a Bardstown pedestrian accident lawyer include:

• Speeding, racing, and reckless driving
• Lack of sidewalk presence, due to rural conditions or a pedestrian not being at an intersection or crosswalk
• Aggressive driving and road rage
• Poor visibility conditions

Alcohol Involvement in Pedestrian Crashes

While campaigns and various community outreach efforts to reduce pedestrian crashes may be effective for some drivers, those drivers who continue to engage in reckless and negligent driving behavior may not be deterred.

In fact, drunk driving and driving under the influence are some of the most common causes of pedestrian-involved crashes, with almost half (49%) of all pedestrian fatalities involving alcohol, and 34% involving a driver whose blood alcohol content was above the legal limit of 0.08%. For non-fatal pedestrian injuries, the percentage of drivers with BAC levels above the legal limit was about 15 percent.

Consult an Experienced Attorney

Your Bardstown pedestrian accident attorney can be there with you throughout the process of seeking just compensation for your injuries, no matter how severe, or minimal, they may seem. Drivers need to be especially careful around pedestrians, and when their negligence causes a pedestrian to be hurt or killed, the driver should be held accountable.