When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle, putting on your seatbelt is a subtle reminder that you are taking a risk. At the end of the day, an accident can happen at any time, and even the most safety-conscious drivers can find themselves in a devastating collision.
When you set out on foot, on the other hand, the thought of getting hurt may not cross your mind. It is obvious how maneuvering a 4,000-pound vehicle can be dangerous even when conditions are perfect, but there is nothing inherently risky about stepping outside your front door to take a stroll around the neighborhood.
Although you should not have to worry about car wrecks if you follow local crosswalk laws, walking near any kind of moving traffic does pose certain risks. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, thousands of people on foot die every year from traffic crashes around the United States, and tens of thousands of pedestrians sustain serious injuries.
If you were hurt in a collision while walking, you may have grounds for a claim against the negligent motorist. Turn to Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, PLC to discuss your case and determine the most strategic way to proceed.
You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost income, and other damages. Call 319-393-1020 to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury attorney in Cedar Rapids.
Could External Airbags Be the Answer to Preventing Pedestrian Fatalities?
As long as people continue operating their own vehicles, pedestrian accidents will occur because there is no foolproof way to eradicate driver error. In fact, even when self-driving cars become ubiquitous, such wrecks will likely still happen because a machine cannot account for every single potential scenario.
Since these kinds of crashes are essentially inevitable, automakers have started exploring ways to protect those on foot from the force of impact. For example, at the end of last year, General Motors received a patent for a “pedestrian protection airbag.”
The concept for an external airbag has been around for a while—Volvo has already installed a version of this safety feature on its V40 model—but only recently have auto manufacturers started researching reasonable, feasible, and effective ways to minimize the force of impact in pedestrian accidents.
Experts claim it is not actually the initial impact that is likely to kill someone on foot. Instead, it is the secondary impact of striking the windshield or rolling over the hood that causes life-threatening injuries. As a result, automakers are concentrating their efforts on devising external airbags that cushion the outside of the windshield as effectively as the current safety features protect a vehicle’s occupants from striking the inside of the windshield.
Unfortunately, even those who are riding in cars with all the latest safety features can sustain serious injuries in a severe collision. If you were in an accident with a reckless driver, contact Eells & Tronvold Law Offices, PLC today.
Call 319-393-1020 to schedule a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer in Cedar Rapids. You can learn more about auto wreck claims in Iowa by visiting USAttorneys.com.