Highway auto-pedestrian accidents raise difficult legal issues

Pedestrian accidents often occur in locations where cars and people commonly meet. At crosswalks and in busy retail areas, near schools and parks, as well as in parking lots and on neighborhood streets, auto-pedestrian accidents happen in those places where Ohio residents must walk and be near moving cars. However, less frequently do these tragic incidents occur on roads with higher speeds, such as highways and interstates.Most highways and freeways do not permit walkers, joggers or other types of pedestrians. They do not have sidewalks or crosswalks, nor do they provide signage or lights where individuals may safely get from one side of the high-speed roads to the other. When pedestrians choose to be on these types of roads and suffer injuries in collisions with automobiles, the pedestrians can sometimes be at fault for the crashes.However, auto-pedestrian accidents also happen on high-speed roads when drivers’ vehicles break down and they are forced to get out of their cars to investigate their vehicle problems. For example, a driver may need to park on the shoulder of an interstate in order to change a flat tire; it is not their choice to be walking near the high-speed road and, if other cars fail to give the driver space, a tragic auto-pedestrian accident could result.It is important for individuals who suffer harm in pedestrian accidents on high-speed roads to get more information about their legal options. These cases can be more difficult to prepare than standard auto-pedestrian accident cases and victims should understand the process through which they may need to proceed in order to secure compensation for their losses.