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Even following safety tips can’t prevent all pedestrian accidents

On Behalf of | Dec 15, 2017 | Pedestrian Accidents |

Pedestrian accidents are often tragic, as those who are hit have a very high likelihood of passing away from their injuries. There is no protection in a car-pedestrian crash, and even relatively low speeds are dangerous.

As such, there are plenty of tips out there about what people can do to stay safe. These tips absolutely can help, but it’s important to note that doing everything you can does not guarantee you won’t be hit.

For example, a young woman was killed while jogging when she was hit by a pickup truck. She was an experienced runner who was about to do her first marathon in less than a week.

One common tip is to wear bright clothes. She did it. She had a bright pink top on.

Another tip is to take low-traffic roads. She’d done that. It was a small street lined with houses.

Runners are also told not to wear headphones. Many like to listen to music, especially during long runs, like those done while training for a marathon. Wisely, the 22-year-old woman had left the headphones at home.

Finally, runners are told to run against traffic, not with it. She did that, staying far to the side because the road had no shoulder.

She was still hit and she passed away at the scene. The truck driver, who did not have insurance and was in his parents’ vehicle, was found at fault.

This isn’t to say the tips don’t help, or that jogging is inherently unsafe. But it helps to show why it’s so important to also know your legal rights if you’re injured.

Source: Runners World, “Collision Course,” Liz Robbins, accessed Dec. 15, 2017

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