( 300+)Were you injured in a pedestrian crash with a motor vehicle? After any type of collision, pedestrians struggle with significant injuries and long-lasting disabilities. They buckle underneath expensive medical bills while struggling to maintain a job.
Fortunately, injured pedestrians can seek compensation in an injury claim. The most common defendant is a negligent motorist who crashed into a pedestrian because of a failure to exercise sufficient care. Our Greenville, South Carolina personal injury attorney is available to assist you with your claim, so reach out to schedule a consultation.
The Top Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Greenville, South Carolina
What are the main causes of pedestrian accidents? Here is a short list.
1. Driver Distraction
A motorist who is distracted is less likely to even see a pedestrian, which means they cannot stop in time or take other evasive action. Distracted driving has many causes:
- Cell phones, in particular calls and text messaging
- Food and drink
- Conversations with passengers
- Pets
- Small children, especially children sitting in a car or booster seat in the back
- Controls on the dash
With their vision distracted, motorists can accidentally go into an intersection or fail to brake before crashing into a jaywalking pedestrian.
2. Driver Fatigue
Many tired drivers are unable to drive safely. They might be yawning uncontrollably or even nod off briefly. Fatigue can also impair a motorist’s judgment.
Unfortunately, many people are exhausted as they hold down two or three jobs to support their families. Some rideshare drivers are putting in a grueling shift after a full day of work at a different job.
There is only one cure for fatigue: sleep. Some motorists will rely on caffeine or amphetamines to stay awake, with uneven results.
3. Driving Too Fast in Greenville, SC
The faster a car travels, the less time a driver has to take defensive action. Consequently, residential areas have a lower speed limit to protect anyone who might cross the street. Going even five miles over the speed limit is dangerous, but anyone going 20 miles per hour or more is at real risk of crashing into a pedestrian.
It is also hard for a pedestrian to accurately judge a car’s speed. Pedestrians might think they have enough time to cross the intersection, but the car is going so fast that it is soon on top of them.
4. Poor Visibility
Poor visibility can also contribute to any accident with pedestrians. Inclement weather and darkness impede vision, but other visibility issues are the driver’s fault:
- Failing to get new windshield wiper blades. When it rains, defective wiper blades could fail to clear the windshield, obstructing a driver’s vision.
- Neglecting to replace a blown headlight bulb. When lights are blown, a driver cannot see as far ahead and can collide with a pedestrian.
- Not fixing crash prevention systems on a vehicle. This technology can stop a vehicle once a sensor detects something in the car’s path. These systems need regular maintenance, like any other mechanical system on a car.
Motorists must perform regular maintenance on their vehicles so it is safe to drive, and a failure to visit the mechanic might qualify as negligence.
5. Drug or Alcohol Use
Too many motorists are chemically impaired out on the road. Drugs and alcohol have well-known side effects:
- Impaired judgment or increased risk-taking
- Delayed or slowed reflexes
- Increased fatigue
- Jittery behavior
- Lack of coordination
- Double or blurred vision
A drunk driver could easily slide right into an intersection because they can’t see or they are unable to stop on the brakes in time.
Alcohol use tends to increase on the weekends, especially in the evenings. A motorist could be under the influence any day of the week.
6. Defective Greenville Roads
Sometimes a road defect causes a pedestrian accident. For example, stoplights might malfunction, or stop signs could be missing. Other signs are obscured by low-hanging tree branches. A driver who is unfamiliar with Greenville might not know they need to stop because they can’t see a sign. They go into the intersection at high speeds and smash into a pedestrian.
In these cases, accident victims might sue the government for failing to fix a defective road. This is a tough case to win, however, so contact a South Carolina pedestrian accident attorney to begin working on your case. The government enjoys immunity in many situations, but our firm can review if your case qualifies under an exception.
7. Jaywalking
Just as drivers must use reasonable care to protect others, pedestrians have a duty to act carefully.
Jaywalking involves crossing a street outside the crosswalk. Pedestrians lunge into traffic because they think they see an opening and are eager to cross.
In South Carolina, a pedestrian’s fault will matter for their personal injury case. Typically, you will receive less compensation if you are partially at fault for the crash. Here is a simple example: if a pedestrian darted into traffic, they could be 40% at fault. The value of their case will fall by 40% to account for their negligence.
Some pedestrians will receive no compensation at all if they were 51% or more at fault for a crash.
Unsurprisingly, defendants have an incentive to blame the victim for an accident. At Elliott Frazier — Family, Personal Injury, & Car Accident Attorneys, LLC, we know how to push back on these accusations. Our firm will gather evidence to show the motorist has the majority of fault for a crash. You deserve the most compensation possible.
Speak with a Greenville, South Carolina Pedestrian Accident Attorney
Pedestrian accidents leave too many people with lingering pain and difficulty returning to their normal lives. You need a passionate legal advocate who is willing to fight for you. Our firm will do everything possible to negotiate a fair settlement with the defendant. We have years of experience in the most complicated pedestrian accident cases, and we invite anyone in the 29605 zip code to contact our office to schedule a free consultation.
