Pedestrian Hit By a Motor Vehicle
 

In 2007, 4,654 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States. On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 113 minutes and injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes. There were 70,000 pedestrians injured in traffic crashes in 2007. In Colorado, over 10% of traffic fatalities in 2007 were pedestrians.

On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 110 minutes and injured in a traffic crash every 9 minutes. In Colorado, 11% of all traffic fatalities are pedestrians. Most pedestrian crashes involve a forward moving car where a standing or walking pedestrian is struck and accelerated to the speed of the car and then continues forward as the car brakes to a halt. Although the pedestrian is impacted twice, first by the car and then by the ground, most of the fatal injuries occur due to the interaction with the car. While the lower limbs are the most commonly injured body parts, most pedestrian fatalities are due to head injuries.

When a truck or bus - weighing several tons - hits a pedestrian, the victim often suffers catastrophic injuries, sometimes resulting in death. The initial impact itself may kill or seriously injure the victim, and these injuries are compounded when the force of the collision knocks them to the ground or throws them through the air.

These devastating accidents change lives forever. If the injury is not fatal, it likely leaves many months of painful recovery from such severe injuries as brain damage, spinal cord damage or loss of a limb. Our firm seeks compensation for pedestrian victims statewide who have suffered injuries in truck vs. pedestrian accidents, including:

• People run over, pinned or sideswiped by commercial vehicles at intersections, bus stops and parking lots
• People injured by actions of utility trucks, such as boom trucks tipping over, falls from bucket trucks or cherry-pickers and electrical service truck accidents
• Blind and vision-impaired pedestrians hit by a truck
• Individuals (pedestrians, bikers) injured in hit-and-run incidents involving truck drivers

RTD Bus Accidents

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) owns and operates more than 1,000 buses in the Denver metro area, including express buses and dial-a-ride shuttles. RTD buses carrying more than 100,000 passengers on a daily basis through neighborhoods to downtown, Park-n-Ride stations and other destinations. By sheer volume of rides, RTD buses are involved in many auto collisions and pedestrian injuries.

Pedestrian Mall-Bus Accidents

The 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver is a top tourist attraction and business hub, and serves as a light rail connection for residents. MallRide, a service of the RTD, operates shuttle buses that traverse the length of the busy mall. Carrying an average of 63,000 passengers a day, dozens of riders, pedestrians and car drivers are seriously injured by MallRide shuttles.

Light Rail Train Accidents

The RTD's light rail trains carry more than 32,000 passengers each day, boarding at 32 stations across the Denver metro area. Many people are injured while loading or unloading onto the LRT trains, and more are injured in light rail accidents involving pedestrians struck by trains or LRT collisions with cars.

Injury claims against the RTD are technical in nature and subject to restrictive caps on damages because they are operated by the state of Colorado.

Read how we helped a family win a motor vehicle strikes pedestrian case.