Statistics on pedestrian accidents paint alarming picture

Car accidents happen with an incredible amount of frequency, but readers of this Ohio personal injury law firm may not realize just how often pedestrians become victims of vehicle crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 4,700 pedestrians were killed in accidents with vehicles in 2013.In addition to the staggering amount of fatalities caused by collisions with vehicles, another 66,000 pedestrians suffered injuries when they were struck by motor vehicles. This means that during 2013, a person died from a pedestrian accident every two hours, and another person was hurt in a similar accident every 8 minutes.Certain factors seem to contribute to an increase in pedestrian accidents. For example, more pedestrian collisions occur at night than during the day, and more pedestrians are hurt and killed in urban areas than in rural areas. Moreover, during 2013, men were significantly more likely to become victims of pedestrian accidents than women, with nearly 70 percent of the year’s pedestrian accident fatalities being male.Adults and children alike are hurt when vehicles and pedestrians come into contact. Perhaps unsurprisingly, alcohol played a role in nearly half of all fatal auto-pedestrian accidents in 2013, with the intoxicated party being either the driver of the involved vehicle or the killed pedestrian.Pedestrian accidents are a real problem and hurt thousands of people every year. It can be difficult to recover from the injuries a person can face when they have been hit by a car, and victims of these often devastating events may wish to discuss their possible legal claims with attorneys who understand personal injury law.