When Is A Pedestrian At Fault In A Florida Car Crash?
You are aware that pedestrian-related car accidents are a regular occurrence for a number of reasons like poor visibility and texting while driving. These accidents often happen in the lively parts of Florida where people and cars are everywhere. When cars accidentally hit people crossing the street, drivers are almost immediately accused of reckless driving but in reality, there are also instances wherein pedestrians may be liable and are at fault for the accident. What kind of situations are those?
• Not Crossing On The Assigned Pedestrian Crosswalk - Just like how cars and other vehicles need to follow traffic rules, pedestrians also have to abide by them. There are designated places or parts of the road where people are allowed to cross, but there are also parts where they are prohibited from crossing. When people decide to cross wherever and whenever they want, they can get hit by speeding cars who will be caught unaware of their sudden actions.
Drivers yield the right of way to pedestrian crosswalks. On any other parts of the road where you are not meant to cross, drivers will have no time to slow down and stop for you. In this case, pedestrians who commit jaywalking will be held liable.
• Crossing The Road While The Red Light Is On - Pedestrians also have signal lights that tell them if it is safe to cross the road. These signal lights are in sync with car stoplights, allowing pedestrians and vehicles to take turns and use the road safely.
Crossing the street even when the pedestrian tells you to stop and wait can result in a very bad accident as cars won’t have the time to slow down, hit the brakes, or avoid you. No matter how much you are rushing to reach your destination, it is important to follow the signal lights.
• Walking On Areas Prohibited To Pedestrians - Cases involving pedestrians are not just about people crossing the road where and when they are not supposed to. There are also times when pedestrians would use roads where people should not be.
For instance, refusing to use the designated sidewalk and walking on the highway instead can cause you to be hit by passing cars. Another example of this is jogging outside the street barrier and using the main road where speeding vehicles are dropping by.
• Running And Rushing On The Road - Pedestrians also have the tendency to beat the red light and cross suddenly. This also happens when pedestrians think that a car is far away enough for them to get safely on the other side of the street even if there are no crosswalks within sight, or if the red signal light for pedestrians is still on. Running suddenly on the road will catch vehicles by surprise and render them unprepared.
Like all other car accidents and personal injury cases, road accidents involving pedestrians will be under investigation. Asking assistance from a personal injury lawyer can help you protect yourself from false claims, and help you get compensation for damages from winning a personal injury lawsuit.
