Pedestrian accidents result in approximately 80,000 injuries in the United States each year. Since pedestrians have no impact protection, and are likely to strike both the vehicle and the ground, their injuries can often be severe, even at relatively low impact speeds. Liability in such cases can hinge on a combination of factors such as: location of the impact, crosswalk design, right of way, vehicle speed (determine by an accident reconstruction [1]), perception and reaction time [2], as well as pedestrian visibility [3] and conspicuity. At signal-controlled pedestrian crossings, traffic light timing and road design are also important factors. In many accidents, the visibility of pedestrians to drivers, and vice-versa, is of central concern.
Our experts are skilled at analyzing these and many more aspects of these accidents: We can often determine who was at fault for a pedestrian’s injury, how fast the vehicle was traveling before impact, and whether the accident could have been avoided had the vehicle been traveling at a lower speed (e.g. the speed limit). We can also determine whether the pedestrian darted out in front of the vehicle, not giving the driver a chance to avoid the accident.