Baltimore Pedestrian Accidents

Baltimore is a pedestrian town. In recent years, there are times I could run the same mile much faster than sitting in traffic. If you are driving towards Harbor East during rush hour, you could crawl down Pratt Street and get there faster.

There are very few experiences as terrifying as a car coming at you as a pedestrian. We have all had that fear at one point of thinking a motor vehicle might hit us. It is terrifying. Cars outweigh human beings by hundreds of pounds and when traveling at high speeds may cause serious injuries to unsuspecting pedestrians. These accidents can happen in a variety of ways, but one common theme to remember is that the pedestrian almost always has the right of way.

So, if you are a pedestrian and you have been struck by a vehicle whether in the crosswalk, sidewalk or elsewhere, the odds are that it was the driver’s fault. The following article will cover when and how an injured pedestrian can bring a lawsuit against an accident-causing driver.

This article will address:

• How Dangerous and Common Are Pedestrian Accidents?
• Common Examples of Pedestrian Accidents that Result in Serious Injury Claims
• Common Case Scenario of a Vehicle Colliding with a Pedestrian
• Settlements and Verdicts in Pedestrian Accident Cases in Baltimore
• Getting a Real Advocate to Fight for You

Pedestrian/motor vehicle accidents are both dangerous and common. In 2011 alone, the NHTSA reported that 4,432 pedestrians were killed in pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes and over 69,000 were reported injured. These types of accidents not surprisingly are much more common in urban areas like Baltimore, making up almost 75% of pedestrian accidents. Also not surprising is that the majority of these accidents occur between 8:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. when the sun is down and visibility is low. Sadly, many involve children under 14 who are walking to and from school. Almost every year the total cost of death and injury among child pedestrians totals $5.2 billion. Pedestrian accidents are therefore a major problem.

Baltimore actually has a lower rate of pedestrian deaths than a lot of cities. We average around 12-13 pedestrian fatal accidents a year. But there are hundreds of serious injury pedestrian collision cases each year in Baltimore City.

The following examples are typical of how a pedestrian/motor vehicle crash might occur:

• A pedestrian trips on the sidewalk and falls onto the street. A passing motorist who is not paying attention runs over the pedestrian.
• A pedestrian walking his dog and not looking over his shoulder gets struck from behind by a passing motorist.
• A pedestrian is struck on the sidewalk when a motorist who is speeding loses control of his vehicle and slams into the pedestrian

Danny is ecstatic that it is warm enough for him to walk to school. He only lives 10 blocks from his middle school, but he often takes the bus because it is too cold and snowy to walk during the winter months in Baltimore. After confirming with weather.com that the weather will be above 60 degrees all day, he throws on a t-shirt and baseball cap and heads out of the house on his way to school. He takes his normal route and makes sure to stay on the sidewalk out of the way of any passing cars. Danny listens to his parents and is a very careful pedestrian. He finally reaches school, but first must wait for the green signal so that he can enter the crosswalk and proceed on to campus.

At the same time, Dino and his buddy Al are driving in Dino’s dad's Ford Mustang. They are not supposed to be driving Dino’s dad’s car, but Dino and Al are two troublemakers and they could not care less. Even though it is only 7:40 a.m., Dino and Al want to push the Mustang to its limit and go as fast as possible. Ignoring the many signs that indicate that they are in a school zone and must travel slowly, they continue to drive at a high rate of speed in the direction of the crosswalk which Danny is waiting to enter.

Danny can hear the faint sound of loud music approaching, but he trusts that the crosswalk is safe and he begins to walk across the road in the direction of the school. All of a sudden, that loud music seems to be right behind Danny. Boom! Next thing Danny knows he is face down on the pavement. When he looks up, he can see the license plate of the Ford Mustang disappearing down the road.

After hitting Danny, Dino and Al fled the scene. Danny tries to stand up, but he can’t. He has two severely broken legs and must be taken to the hospital for treatment. Danny has a claim against Dino and Al for their irresponsible driving and he may be entitled to significant compensation depending on how much treatment his broken legs require.

• $1,000,000 Settlement.  A young woman is pushing her small child in a stroller on a sidewalk in Baltimore County and is struck by a pickup truck that missed his U-turn but decided to take it anyway. The woman was killed. Before she was hit, she pushed her child to safety. Allstate argued that the client's immigration status would adversely impact the value of the case and made us file suit. Miller & Zois' attorneys sued them in Baltimore City. Allstate tried to move the case to Baltimore County but we won the motions battle on venue. The case settled shortly thereafter for $1 million, the full amount of Allstate's insurance policy.
• $663,000 Verdict. An 18 year-old woman is hit by a car driving whose driver was distracted by a text message he was sending. The defendant, a State Farm insured admits liability but argues the woman was not really hurt. To be blunt, they pretty much accused her of being a liar. But the jury believed her and her doctors and awarded $663,000. Miller & Zois took this case to trial when State Farm refused to pay her the compensation she deserved.

If you or one of your loved ones were involved in a Baltimore pedestrian accident, we may be able to help you get the compensation you deserve. We fight relentlessly to get you as much money as possible for what you have been through. Call us at 800-553-8082 or you can get a free case evaluation online.

• Overview of pedestrian injury cases
• Parking Lots pedestrian crashes: how these accidents occur and sample verdicts and settlements in these cases
• Baltimore bicycle accident cases
• A look at texting accident cases which is a particular bane for pedestrians in an urban area
• Baltimore is a good jurisdiction for personal injury plaintiffs.  Learn what you have to do to win in Baltimore