The California Department of Motor Vehicles Driver Handbook is 116 pages long. Care to venture a guess as to how many of those pages deal with pedestrians?
Thirteen. The laws for drivers are well publicized in America. The laws for pedestrians, however, are almost invisible. In that DMV handbook you will find a list of what to do if you are in a collision with a moving car, a parked car, even an animal (see page 77) … but you will not find a line on what to do if you’re in an accident with a pedestrian. Or, what to do if you are the victim in a pedestrian-vehicle collision.
The legal rights of pedestrians are not well known, but they do exist. Unfortunately, far too often it’s the family of the pedestrian that ends up having to sort through them.
The latest report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows the percentage of pedestrian fatalities is on the rise. In their most up-to-date research, 14 percent of all traffic fatalities were pedestrian deaths, a 3 percent increase from the previous report.
In California, the numbers are even more shocking. More than 22 percent of all traffic fatalities were pedestrian deaths. That gives California the fifth-highest rate in the country, a full 9 percent higher than the national average.
If you or your family is involved in a pedestrian accident, either being struck by a car or being the driver in the incident, taking the right course of action as soon as possible is crucial to protect your health and rights. However, that course can be nearly impossible to find without the right kind of help.
Mission Viejo Pedestrian Accident Lawyers specialize in the laws governing pedestrian accidents. In any collision, there is always more than meets the eye. Something horrible happened, and it happened fast, and the people involved may not accurately recall the details. Determining who is at fault is often a difficult process, but it is of the utmost importance.
Mission Viejo Pedestrian Accident Lawyers know what to look for in cases like this. They can help lead you through the process of protecting your family.
California law states the statute of limitations on filing a personal injury lawsuit is two years. The physical and emotional pain of being involved in a pedestrian collision can last much, much longer.
Do not try to go it alone. Let Mission Viejo Pedestrian Accident Lawyers guide you through a difficult time.