In recent days, there seem to be a significant number of pedestrian accidents involving cars or large trucks. For example, last Thursday, Ernest Lee Brown, a 55-year-old Vidor resident, was attempting to cross the south service road of Interstate 10 at State Highway 62 at about 4:45 p.m. He crossed in front of a truck tractor that was stopped at a traffic light, but when the light turned green, the truck struck Brown, killing him, according to a report from the Orange Police Department.
The Orange Fire Department and Acadian EMS also responded to the accident, but Judge Joy Dubose-Simonton pronounced Brown dead at the scene. The Texas Department of Public Safety has joined the investigation.
The night before, at about 11:30 p.m., 26-year-old Jeremy Widener of Buna was killed as he tried to cross US 96 at CR 722 in Jasper County when he was struck by a Dodge Avenger. Widener was transported to Jasper Memorial Hospital with serious injuries and was pronounced dead just before 1:00 a.m. April 28. The area of US 96 where he was crossing had no street lighting. The driver of the Dodge was not injured in the accident, which is still under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
In East Austin, an unidentified pedestrian in his 20s was struck and killed very early Sunday morning as he attempted to cross Interstate 35 near Cesar Chavez Street just after 3 a.m. Austin-Travis County EMS responded to the scene, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. No details were released regarding the type of vehicle that hit the pedestrian in that case.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), about 5,000 pedestrians die and more than 75,000 are injured every single year in accidents with either a car or a truck. In every accident involving a pedestrian, a thorough investigation is needed. While many may assume that it’s the pedestrian’s fault when they cross a busy highway, there may be other factors involved. These types of cases can be among the most difficult to deal with because vehicle drivers and pedestrians all have an obligation to follow the rules and exercise reasonable care. The courts and the driver’s insurance company will take a hard look at many factors when applying the facts of the case and they will compare the driver’s and the pedestrian’s duty of care.
Whereas some vehicle-pedestrian accidents are caused by the victim doing something they shouldn’t have done, like crossing a busy interstate, others occur because of driver negligence. Perhaps they were texting, talking on the phone, eating, or otherwise distracted at the time, or they may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, whether illegal narcotics or prescription medications. The vehicle may have been defective or the roads may not have been properly maintained. It takes a thorough investigation to discover every possible cause for such a terrible tragedy.
If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a vehicle-pedestrian accident please contact our San Antonio car accident lawyer at the Hill Law Firm for a free consultation. That way, we can evaluate the facts of your case and help you protect your rights.