Pedestrian Hit and Run Accidents Already Too Common in the New Year

We are less than a month into 2016 and Kentucky has already seen several pedestrian hit and run accidents.  WLKY.com reports that two men who were injured in a Kentucky pedestrian hit and run in Lexington last month remain in the hospital. One of the victims has had his left leg amputated, and the other man is still awaiting surgery. Another pedestrian hit and run accident occurred January 9 of this year, according to Lex 18. The motorist attempted to strike three law enforcement officers with his car after the officers observed him tossing garbage from his car into a parking lot and confronted him.

Pedestrian Hit and Run Statistics

According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), pedestrians are at risk of serious injury or death in pedestrian collisions:

• Thirteen pedestrians (on average) die each day in vehicle crashes in the United States. This equates to about one pedestrian death every hour and one-half;
• January 1 and October 31 are the most deadly days of the year for pedestrians; and
• Pedestrians are most likely to be killed between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., and on Saturday and/or Sunday.

Any pedestrian-vehicle collision can be devastating to the pedestrian. Hit and run pedestrian accidents present additional problems for the injured pedestrian because the at-fault driver flees the scene of the accident rather than stopping to render aid to the injured pedestrian. This can make identifying the at-fault motorist – and recovering compensation for one’s injuries – extremely difficult unless there were eyewitnesses or other evidence that can help identify the hit-and-run motorist.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents

Like car crashes, pedestrian crashes may occur for a variety of reasons, many of which are due to the negligence of one or more individuals. These causes may include:

• Driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs;
• Texting and driving or driving while distracted;
• Driving during poor visibility conditions or at night; and/or
• Disobeying traffic laws and signs;

A hit and run crash is more likely to occur when an at-fault motorist does not want to take responsibility for the crash, when the motorist does not have insurance and does not want to be held financially liable, or when the driver is so intoxicated that he or she does not even realize he or she hit someone.

What To Do if You Have Been Injured in a Lexington Pedestrian Hit and Run Accident

If you are the injury victim in a hit-and-run accident, it is crucial that you write down as many details about the accident as possible as soon as you are able to do so – including a detailed description of the vehicle and driver that struck you. Use this information to file a report with the police and enlist law enforcement’s assistance in locating the at-fault driver. If you are able to do so, see if any witnesses at the scene of the crash observed the incident and, if so, collect the contact information of these witnesses.

Finally, you should contact the Lexington pedestrian hit-and-run accident lawyers at Frank Jenkins Law Office. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can use our firm’s knowledge and resources to help identify the responsible party in your crash and work toward helping you obtain compensation for your injuries and losses. Contact our firm today by calling our office or reaching out to us through our online contact form.