People travel the streets of Lexington day and night. For some, walking is a primary means of transportation, but even drivers become pedestrians when they park and exit their cars. Any of these trips on sidewalks and crosswalks can be hazardous when distracted drivers get in a hurry and start focusing on things other than the road.
Pedestrians can follow every traffic law and obey crosswalk signs and still become victims of a collision with a vehicle. These accidents happen every week in Lexington and are usually the fault of a careless driver. Unfortunately, that fault can be in question when it’s your word against a driver’s word. You can hope that witnesses will step forward to shed light on the driver’s mistake but you might also have to start building your evidence in the moments after an impact.
We’ll go over the most important steps you can take in the aftermath of a pedestrian collision but first, we’ll look at just how common and often tragic these accidents across Lexington can be.
Lexington Pedestrian Accident Dangers
Lexington city leaders try to maintain a walkable grid across the city, but there are still plenty of dangerous spots where poor design and excessive traffic levels make pedestrian travel truly scary.
The dangers for anyone on foot are clear when looking over the end-of-year data on these accidents. In 2019, Lexington emergency responders reported 160 collisions involving pedestrians for the year. Those accidents lead to a tragic four people losing their lives. If you look back at the previous years you see how the numbers of accidents fluctuate, but the dangers pedestrians face stays constant.
Not every accident in 2020 has been officially documented and added up yet, but the early numbers show that even in a year of stay-at-home orders and fewer vehicles on city streets, pedestrians were still involved in far too many encounters with vehicles.
As of November 2020, the Lexington Police Department documented 140 pedestrian accidents year-to-date. Over the same period of 11 months in 2019, the city had seen 145 pedestrian-involved collisions.
Only an apparent small drop off was recorded in 2020 when dwindling traffic levels during the pandemic should have had a major impact. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. People trying to share the streets with motor vehicles were still placed at extreme peril when they walked, ran, or biked across Lexington.
What to Do After A Pedestrian Accident In Lexington
After getting struck by a car, victims can find themselves in the middle of the street, on a sidewalk, or even on a car hood. Victims may feel the most vulnerable they’ve ever felt in their lives. They may also be in intense pain from the impact.
You should always contact 911 first after an accident. Get police and paramedics on their way so that you can get checked out and get your account of what happened documented. Then, if you’re strong enough to move, start gathering the evidence you’ll need to prove you weren’t at fault for your accident.
If you don’t feel you can move, ask someone you’re with or perhaps a helpful witness to assist you in some basic steps in securing visual evidence and documentation.
Here’s a list of details to collect:
- Take photos and video. Document the scene from every angle. Get photos of the vehicle that hit you and any damage to the vehicle. Tell the story of how the accident occurred by getting video or pics of street signs, traffic lights, and roadway markings.
- Talk to any witnesses. Make sure you know how to reach them when you go to file your claim against a driver and his or her insurance company. If witnesses are okay with writing down what they saw, have them sign and date the document. They may prefer to give a statement that you can record on your phone.
- Note the potential for security footage. Look around for any security cameras on businesses or on homes that might have caught what happened. Also, see if any witnesses in cars happened to have a dashcam rolling.
- Exchange information with the driver involved but don’t make any statements about how the accident happened or your injuries. Insurance companies can use these statements to weaken your case against them.
- Get examined by a doctor. Get every injury documented. Pay special attention to injuries that appear in the days after an accident.
- Keep any damaged personal items like clothing and purses or bags. Don’t throw evidence out.
Getting these factors documented can make a big difference when insurance companies for at-fault drivers try to blame you for an accident. They are just trying to limit the amount of compensation they’ll have to pay you for all of your physical, emotional, and financial hardships caused by the collision. You’ll be giving yourself and your attorney a great headstart on building a doubtless case when you begin with a file full of irrefutable evidence.
Contact a Lexington Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Accident victims often wonder if they need an attorney, and the answer is almost always yes. The insurance company agents have years of experience and are good at their job which is to pay you as little as possible or nothing at all. You need someone just as experienced to help you level the field. Talk to someone you can trust to be on your side and fight for your fair compensation
The attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, have that knowledge and a combined 100 years’ experience in helping clients get the compensation they’ll need to fully recover. To discuss your case contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today.
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