High-Speed, Non-Crosswalk Wreck Seriously Injures Pedestrian

An unidentified female is clinging to life at a local hospital after a pedestrian-auto crash in Lafayette.
According to police, an oncoming car hit the victim in the 2400 block of Johnson Street. She was immediately transported to a local hospital with unspecified injuries that were described only as severe. Authorities shut down Johnson Street and the surrounding area for several hours while they conducted an intensive investigation.
No charges are pending against the driver, whose name was not released, at this time.
What Causes Pedestrian-Auto Crashes?
Even though the number of pedestrians is incredibly small compared to the number of motorists, over 150,000 pedestrians are seriously injured in these incidents each year. Most of these incidents take place on two-lane roads outside the crosswalks during non-daylight hours, and this fact helps explain both the frequency of pedestrian-auto crashes and the seriousness of the injuries.
Visibility is a serious issue in these circumstances. Simply stated, motorists are not looking for pedestrians while pedestrians assume that motorists see them, and this is a very dangerous combination. To improve their visibility, some pedestrians walk with flashlights or wear reflective clothing. However, such precautions may not always be an option, and even if they are used, there is little scientific evidence that they are effective.
Injuries Sustained
While some motorists speed through green and yellow lights at intersections, in most cases, vehicle traffic slows down at intersections and speeds up in other areas. That’s significant, because speed is a major factor in pedestrian-auto crashes. Collisions at 20mph or slower are nearly always survivable, while collisions at 40mph or faster are nearly always fatal. The excessive speed leads to serious injuries like:

• Broken Bones: During corrective surgery, bones often require metal reinforcement to heal properly. Unfortunately for victims, such aggressive intervention often means severe pain and long-term physical therapy.
• Blood Loss: Victims are always launched into the air during pedestrian-auto crashes. As a result, they suffer severe internal and external trauma injuries, which cause massive blood loss.
• Wrongful Death: Because pedestrians have absolutely no protection in these situations, the fatality rate is quite high in pedestrian-auto crashes.

Damages normally include compensation for both economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as emotional distress. Particularly in cases that involve alcohol consumption, punitive damages are often available as well.
Pedestrian-auto crashes cause serious injuries. For a free consultation with an aggressive personal injury attorney in Lake Charles, contact Lee Hoffoss Injury Lawyers. We do not charge upfront legal fees in personal injury cases.