Pedestrian Accidents: Threat to Young Students

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Pedestrian accidents are likely to happen in crowded areas like school zones. Because of this, it is imperative for drivers to mind their surroundings when driving and to slow down when passing by crosswalks or crowded places. This is because school zones are hotspots for pedestrian accidents. According to reports, in 2010, about 100 children died due to pedestrian accidents near school zones.

In the State of California, pursuant to California Vehicle Code (VC) 21950, drivers must give way to crossing pedestrians. The VC specifically states that: "The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.”

California drivers must therefore remember that even a simple traffic violation like failing to give way to crossing pedestrians could result in horrific and fatal consequences. This is because child pedestrians do not have the ability to effectively protect themselves from road accidents. Additionally, children who get involved in a pedestrian accident are likely to sustain major injuries, including:

•    Fractured bones

•    Extreme lacerations

•    Spinal cord injury

•    Traumatic brain injury

•    Severe bruises

•    Multiple bone fractures

•    Head concussion

•    Internal bleeding

•    Brain hemorrhage

Accordingly, parents of children who got injured in a pedestrian accident are advised to file a pedestrian accident claim against the driver involved in the incident. Under the tort law, injured parties in a road accident may be entitled to compensations for them to recover from the injuries they sustained. However, claiming for the said payments is not easy, which is why parents of injured children should hire a competent Los Angeles injury attorneys who can assist them in claiming for injury damages.

    

On this note, a Los Angeles pedestrian accident attorney can provide the following assistance:

Case analysis – This involves reviewing the nature of the case in order for the client to learn the legal actions that he or she must take.

Gathering of evidence – A pedestrian accident attorney can assist his or her client in collating necessary evidence that could prove the negligence of the defendant. Accordingly, documents that are usually deemed helpful in pedestrian accident claims are medical records, photos of the accident scene and injury, police report, and others.

Representation – During negotiation with the insurance company, the client can be assured that his or her attorney will deal with all the legal and complex aspects of the negotiation. The lawyer will likewise take charge of convincing the insurer that the injured party deserves high amount of payments.