Northern California Accident Attorney Blog

In a recent case, a jury determined that the city of Sacramento was mainly responsible for the serious brain injury of a woman who was hit by a vehicle while running in a crosswalk almost four years ago. News10.net reports that the jury concluded that the Land Park crosswalk on the active two lane street that used to travel in one direction was too hazardous. Since the Sacramento pedestrian accident, the road now has one lane in both directions, pedestrians do not have to walk as far to get across the street, and there is a pedestrian-activated signal light that envelops the crosswalk.

According to the article, the two week trial consisted of testimonies made by city planners and Former Mayor Heather Fargo stating that the crosswalk was unsafe. Apparently, some evidence even described the crosswalk as "the Bermuda Triangle of Sacramento." The jury decided that the city of Sacramento knew about the dangers of the crosswalk and believed the pedestrian crash ended the woman's medical career, tragically cutting her livelihood short.

It's difficult to imagine that in 2009, 4,092 pedestrians were killed and 59,000 were injured in traffic accidents in the United States. Based on data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 72 percent of pedestrian deaths occurred in urban environments as opposed to rural settings. Moreover, approximately 76 percent of pedestrian fatalities took place at non-intersections, about 90 percent happened during normal weather conditions, and almost 70 percent occurred during the evening hours.

With these high risk factors in mind, each city and state has a responsibility of ensuring that crosswalks and intersections are safely designed and have proper signage. Unfortunately, there are already many other potential risks of pedestrian accidents occurring due to distracted driving, speeding, and other forms of negligence without dangerous road conditions or inadequate crosswalks playing a role.

Pedestrian accidents sadly often result in catastrophic injuries or death. Pedestrians are at significant risk of suffering a spinal cord injury, brain injury, broken bones, and other serious damage. Anyone who is injured in a Sacramento pedestrian collision may want to get in touch with a Sacramento pedestrian accident lawyer with experience obtaining compensation for those hurt by another person's negligence.