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A person crossing or walking near a street might not always be easily visible to a motor vehicle driver. There are a number of common pedestrian accidents in Cicero that everyone needs to keep an eye out for. A diligent pedestrian accident attorney could help you out with a legal claim if you were injured in any of the following scenarios.
A crosswalk is a dedicated area that pedestrians are allowed to walk and cross the roadway. While a pedestrian is in a crosswalk, the motor vehicle traffic must yield the right-of-way. However, that does not mean the person can simply walk without thinking. Even though they are in a crossing zone, a pedestrian must still exercise reasonable care. They should not move forward if they see a car speeding towards them that does not look like it is stopping.
Walkers and joggers need to pay attention to vehicles beyond those that are stopped right at the crosswalk. Many times, drivers will begin to take their left turn and not notice pedestrians because they are focusing on cars coming from their front or their right.
The sidewalk is designed to protect pedestrians and separate them from motor vehicle traffic. In the absence of a sidewalk, they have the right to walk as nearly as possible on the right side of the roadway. A car must yield to these walkers and give them ample space, but both parties have a duty to exercise reasonable care. People being struck while walking in the road is one of the most common types of pedestrian accidents in Cicero.
Many drivers are distracted while driving through parking lots, since they may be looking for a parking space or for a particular store. Because parking lots are typically on private property, this may impact the investigation of the case. Some police refuse to generate a report, even if injuries are apparent, if the accident occurred on private property. Because parking lots are typically private property, the police may be reluctant to get involved.
An injured person should always call the police if they are injured in an accident. However, if the police refuse to issue a report because it occurred in a private parking lot, the individual should go into the store that owns the lot and have them document the accident. Without authoritative documentation, the case is at risk of being lost. Because it is a private property, the store would be responsible for generating an incident report.
It is common to see someone in a parking lot or garage get hit due to a car backing up. The driver in this situation will not be able to see everything that is behind them, even with mirrors. Also, many drivers fail to check their surroundings completely before beginning to back up. While this type of accident is typically the fault of the driver, a pedestrian is also required to exercise reasonable care and stay aware of their surroundings.
Although local pedestrian accidents can happen with any type of vehicle, it is not common for the accident to involve the bus itself. A more likely scenario is a passenger getting off of a bus and being struck by another vehicle that was coming from the other direction; or one that was passing the stopped bus from the same lane and does not see the passenger crossing in front.
Buses should not leave a stop until all passengers are safely off of the bus and out of the road. When a school bus has its stop sign open and blinking, no one should pass them in either lane.
The deadliest pedestrian accidents are those that involve a drunk or drug-impaired driver. Intoxicated drivers lose judgment and perspective, which makes them more likely to hit people walking nearby – as well as anything else in their way. Even after hitting someone, they might not be aware of what they just did, potentially leading to a hit-and-run situation.
Even though traffic laws exist to prevent collisions, you could still find yourself involved in one if someone is not careful. Contact a lawyer if you are looking to recover damages. There are numerous common pedestrian accidents in Cicero that might make you eligible for monetary compensation.