Saturday, March 26, 2022, a 66-year-old woman was exiting a Walmart in Paris, Illinois, and pushing a shopping cart to her car when a 73-year-old driver attempting a U-turn in the parking lot struck and ran over the pedestrian. Several calls were made to 911. Paris police, ambulance, and fire department arrived and unfortunately pronounced the pedestrian dead on the scene.
As a driver, you have a responsibility to pedestrians to drive with caution. Although sometimes pedestrians may cross at the wrong time, pedestrians always have the right of way. Driving recklessly can cause serious damage to a person, especially when struck by a large vehicle with no form of protection at all. Some ways you can ensure you are driving with the safety of pedestrians in mind include:
- Watching for crosswalks: crosswalks are typically only used at busy intersections. Flagged by a pole depicting the image of a person walking, these spaces time pedestrian crossing with coordinating intersection lights. However, oncoming traffic can drive through a crosswalk if they are turning left or right. As a driver, it is your responsibility to give time to any pedestrian crossing before attempting a turn.
- Checking for both cars and pedestrians when turning left or right: Some intersections or turns do not have crosswalks. When no crosswalk is present, pedestrians will typically cross streets when parallel traffic has a green light. As a driver, you must allow any pedestrian to cross before attempting to turn regardless of if a crosswalk is present.
- Driving slowly in parking lots: In places where pedestrians are present in masses, it is important to drive under 10 miles an hour. This speed is a safe speed for anyone to attempt to get out of the way, or for a driver to brake quickly if a pedestrian is too close to their vehicle.
If you or someone you know has recently been severely injured because of a driver’s negligence, it is important to understand your next steps. Immediately after the event, you should seek medical attention. Not only is medical attention necessary to assess any damages your person may have sustained, but it is also important to your claims that you have the proper documentation. After receiving the medical care required, you may want to file a claim with the insurance company responsible for the driver. At this point, medical bills and other documents may start arriving at your address, leaving you feeling bombarded. You may consider hiring an attorney to assist you in your pursuit of justice and compensation. The personal injury lawyers at Spiros Law, P.C. are well-practiced and prepared attorneys who will fight for your claims to justice for your physical and emotional damages. Call (217) 443-4343 to set up a free consultation today.
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