Injured As a Pedestrian In Florida?
At one time or another, everyone is a pedestrian and the streets are dangerous!
Florida ranked the second most deadly state for pedestrians accidents, reporting over 3,400 pedestrian deaths from 2016 to 2020. (source)
In Florida, the number of pedestrians struck and killed while walking reached a historical high in 2021, finding more than 7,200 people were struck and killed. Smart Growth America – Dangerous by Design 2020. (source)
Florida’s most dangerous cities for reported pedestrian accidents are:
- Deltona-Daytona Beach – Ormand Beach
- Tampa, Saint Petersburg, Clearwater
- Jacksonville, North Port, Sarasota-Bradenton
- Orlando-Kissimmee & Sandford
- Miami – Fort Lauderdale & Pompano Beach
Such cities have greater populations, greater tourism, also oriented to being heavily car oriented, leading to more pedestrian accidents. (source)
Florida maintains an active crash-dashboard noting the total number of pedestrian crashes and fatalities. In 2022 alone, the number of pedestrian crashes are staggering:
- Total Pedestrian Crashes: 9,996
- Total Pedestrian Fatalities: 761
- Injuries From Pedestrian Crashes: 7,769
Overall, most accidents in Florida happen between the hours of 6 PM to midnight.
Most pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas, on roadsides or shoulders, on highways or busy streets with narrow or no sidewalks, and most occur in non-intersections.
The Top 10 Causes of Pedestrian Accidents:
- Drivers fail to stop at a stop sign.
- Drivers fail to stop at a red light.
- Driving while speeding / excessive speed.
- Driving while texting / distracted driving.
- Driving while talking on a cell phone/distracted driving.
- Driving while impaired / Alcohol consumption / Driving Under Influence.
- Driving with impaired vision due to lack of daylight.
- Location: Most pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas.
- Careless & Reckless driving.
- Unsafe infrastructure / lack of proper pedestrian walkways.
- Visibility – Taller vehicles decrease the visibility of a pedestrian, increasing the likelihood of a crash. Pickup trucks and SUV’s have significant blind spots, making it more dangerous to see pedestrians in their path, especially shorter ones, like children.
Pedestrian Accidents / Common Occurrences:
- Hurried mom or dad backs out of the driveway without realizing a child is behind the car.
- An elderly person using a cane to cross the pedestrian walkway cannot get out of the way of a speeding car.
- Drivers behind the wheel, driving under the influence cause pedestrian accidents, injuries and fatalities.
Certain groups are more at risk for pedestrian accidents or death:
- Children also accounted for a high percentage of pedestrian deaths, both under & over the age of 15.
- Adults of 65 years or older accounted for approximately 20% of all pedestrian deaths in 2020. Older pedestrians have limitations causing them to be more susceptible to accidents, such as losses in hearing, reactions time and other factors put them more at risk, making them more susceptible to great injury or death.
- Those of lower socioeconomic status are also most likely affected.
The most common injuries suffered by pedestrians are to the head resulting in concussions, headaches and traumatic brain injury. Other common pedestrian injuries include neck, chest and back injuries, pelvis injuries, leg fractures, and injuries to the knees. (source)
Other injuries may include shoulder injuries, road rash, abrasions and lacerations on the skin, with permanent injuries, disability, limitations, restrictions, scarring and loss of enjoyment of life.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a pedestrian accident, in Florida through no fault of your own, you are likely to have the following TOP 10 questions:
- What are my rights against the driver who caused the accident?
- What should I do about the medical bills received including the ambulance billing, fire rescue billing, emergency room billing and for other medical bills following the crash?
- What should I do about lost time from work, lost wages incurred and for on-going lost wages?
- What should myself or my legal representative do in terms of evidence preservation, to proving how the accident happened and how badly I was injured by the careless driver?
- What steps should I take now to protect myself to obtain the best medical care and best financial recovery?
- How soon should I see a doctor for follow-up or on-going injuries and what is the best type of doctor to see?
- What should I do if I receive a call from the driver’s insurance company? Should I agree to provide a recorded statement?
- What is the value of my case?
- What insurance did the at fault driver have, what are the insurance limits and how does my own insurance come into play towards paying my medical bills and lost wages?
- What about compensation for my other damages, future lost wages, future medical bills, inconvenience, mental anguish and my pain and suffering, and other expenses or losses?
Call attorney Brad Souders at 1-800-254-5155 to schedule a FREE immediate consultation to answer all of your questions. Let us do all the work for you to hold all parties fully accountable for all injuries and losses sustained.
There are no charges for attorney’s fees or costs unless we win! We have a principal office in Tampa, representing accident victims and their families throughout the state of Florida with over 30 years of experience.
Home, Hospital, Evening, Virtual & Weekend appointments upon request.
We also pride ourselves on delivering friendly, personal, prompt and professional service, with the goals of helping YOU obtain the best medical care and best financial recovery possible!