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A “pedestrian accident” is a type of accident in which an adult or child is struck by a motor vehicle while waiting for a bus, running, walking, playing in the street, or riding a bicycle. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently published a report detailing Arizona’s “Motor Vehicle Crash Facts.” One surprising statistic found in the ADOT claims accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians are increasing in the state of Arizona. Also, the 2018 ADOT report states that pedestrian accidents only account for about 2% of the total accidents in Arizona, but these accidents account for 25% of the fatal collisions. At Torgenson Law, our school bus stop accident injury and wrongful death lawsuit attorneys fight hard on behalf of those adults and children who have tragically sustained injuries or lost their lives in pedestrian accidents.
If you or someone you loved was struck by a car, bus, motorcycle, or truck while waiting for the school bus, it is very important that you discuss the circumstances of the accident with an experienced pedestrian accident attorney. You or your loved one could be eligible to receive significant monetary compensation for your losses. Protect you or your loved one’s legal rights today by calling Torgenson Law at (602) 726-0747. The case analysis is free and without obligation.
In the state of Arizona, the amount of time an injury or wrongful death victim has to file their claim is limited according to Arizona’s statutes of limitations. So please don’t delay in discussing your case with one of our caring and experienced attorneys. For over 15 years, Torgenson Law has been a strong advocate for those injured or killed by negligent drivers. Our firm fights hard to recover maximum compensation for each of the firm’s clients. Do you have questions about your school bus accident case? If so, simply contact Torgenson Law at (602) 726-0747 and receive a free, no-obligation accident claim review. Our attorney can also come to you.
Distracted driving is a national epidemic. When the driver of a motor vehicle is sending and reading text messages, playing with the radio, or eating, these careless drivers are endangering the lives of innocent adults and children waiting for the school bus. Individuals waiting at a bus stop are placed at a significantly higher risk of sustaining a catastrophic injury, permanent disability, and fatality. Motorists owe a duty of care when approaching a school bus that is boarding children and the bus’s stop lights are flashing. Although Arizona laws make it illegal for drivers to pass school buses while loading students, many drivers illegally pass school buses due to driving distracted, disregard or recklessness. Some drivers simply put other’s lives at risk because the driver simply doesn’t care.
When a bystander is struck by a motor vehicle at a bus stop, the human body is no match for the weight and speed of a motor vehicle. When a person, especially a child, is hit by a car, the pedestrian will suffer serious, life-threatening injuries or pass away as a result of the collision. In addition to the excruciating pain and suffering, a victim of a pedestrian accident will suffer the pain of prolonged medical treatment and rehabilitation, loss of wages, and incur expensive medical bills. Our school bus accident attorneys in Phoenix, Arizona recognize these hardships because our attorneys have been representing the victims of distracted drivers for over 15 years.
There are countless numbers of distractions that contribute to distracted driving. Driving distractions are divided into three separate categories which include:
Cognitive Distractions: A cognitive distraction is a type of distraction that involves a driver focusing their attention away from driving the motor vehicle. The distractions are mental distractions. A few examples of Cognitive Distractions are: talking to passengers, daydreaming, worrying about personal matters such as family, work, or other personal issues.
Manual Distractions: A Manual Distraction is more visibly obvious. A Manual Distraction occurs when the driver moves their hand or hands off the wheel. Reaching for an object or cleaning up a spill or putting on makeup are several different types of Manual Distractions. Manual Distractions can cause the vehicle may drift toward a bus stop, sidewalk, or side of the road leading to the vehicle striking a pedestrian.
Visual Distraction: Visual Distractions happen with a driver averts their eyes away from the road ahead of them and toward a distraction either inside or outside of their motor vehicle. A few examples of Visual Distractions are rubbernecking, checking a cellphone, looking at children in the rearview mirror.
Cell phones have become a dangerous distraction that threatens pedestrian safety. Every day, several pedestrians are struck by a motor vehicle that is being operated by a driver who is engaging in text messaging, surfing the web, or making a cellphone call using their hands. Cell phone usage while driving is especially dangerous because using a mobile device while driving involves all three forms of distraction (cognitive, manual, and visual). Statistic show that drivers, who utilize a cellphone while driving, are four times more likely to cause a collision. Texting while driving raises the risk for causing an accident by as much as 23 times. The National Safety Council has published estimates that almost 10 percent of all drivers on the road are engaged in using their mobile phone while behind the wheel.
One of the key reasons why pedestrian accidents at bus stops are so deadly is the time of day in which these occur. Because school buses arrive to pick up children in the early morning hours, all parties tend to be drowsy. When pedestrians are sleepy, they may not be alert enough to react to an approaching vehicle. Also, in the early morning hours, drivers can be driving while in a drowsy state which makes falling asleep at the wheel is a real and terrifying possibility. When a driver falls asleep at the wheel, the driver usually doesn’t wake up and brake or take evasive maneuvers to prevent hitting a pedestrian. In many accidents caused by drowsy drivers, the pedestrian is struck at higher speeds resulting more serious injuries or death.
Unfortunately, the usual types of injuries sustained by children or adults waiting for the school bus and struck by a car are typically debilitating in nature. A few of the most common injuries sustained at school bus stop accidents include:
Spinal Cord Injuries: Personal injuries involving the spine are usually debilitating, catastrophic in nature. Spinal injuries have long-term disabling consequences because the body transmits signals between the brain and body by way of the nervous system through the spinal cord.
Lacerations: The severity and location lacerations could mean a higher risk for infection, severe pain, numbness, and permanent disfigurement.
Bone Fractures: One of the most serious and common injuries sustained by a victim of pedestrian accidents are bone fractures. Bone fractures usually require the insertion of medical appliances like pins and screws as well as other corrective surgical procedures.
Injuries to the Pelvis: One of the most dangerous bone fractures and injuries involves the hip and pelvis. Depending on the driver’s car design, a pedestrian who was struck by a distracted driver may sustain one of numerous types of pelvic injuries/fractures.
Head & Brain Injuries: When a victim of a pedestrian accident sustains trauma to the head and neck regions, the victim may suffer brain damage leading to impaired cognitive functioning, permanent disability, or death.
Internal Injuries: Many internal injuries like rib fractures, damage to vital organs, internal bleeding, or brain bleeds can be serious and even life-threatening.
Wrongful Death: Sadly, pedestrian accidents cause such serious injuries that the victim may not be able to recover from their injuries. When a family prematurely loses a loved one due to the negligence of another, they often suffer tremendous despair and hardships. To make things worse for the family, a family may also face associated financial hardships such as the loss of household income, medical bills, and burial/funeral expenses.
Arizona’s personal injury laws are designed to help victims of negligence recover damages from an individual who engaged in negligent actions that caused harm, injury or death. Arizona’s personal injury statutes also state what monetary compensation may be awarded in a trial. In the state of Arizona, our law uses the legal term “damages” to describe the monetary compensation that may be awarded in an Arizona personal injury case.
In some Arizona injury cases, the plaintiff could be permitted to recover both compensatory and punitive damages.
Compensatory damages “compensate” the victim for the economic damages they sustained after the accident such as lost wages, medical expenses, rental car reimbursement, and all other pedestrian accident losses. In addition, non-economic damages compensate the victim for non-tangible damages such as emotional distress, such as pain and suffering, and other non-economic damages.
In some cases, Punitive damages may be awarded to the school bus stop accident victim and are awarded if the personal injury claim moves to trial. Punitive damages are meant to “punish” the defendant for their negligence. Punitive damages are not awarded in every personal injury case.
If you or a member of your family has been harmed in a pedestrian accident in Phoenix or anywhere in the state of Arizona, you or your loved one could be entitled to receive monetary damages. Our sidewalk pedestrian accident lawyers are ready to assist you in your time of need.
If our firm is able to represent you or your loved one, our attorneys will fight on your behalf to hold the at-fault party accountable for their negligence. We will ensure that your best interests are well-represented. Please call (602) 726-0747 today to receive your free pedestrian accident consultation from Torgenson Law.
