Pedestrians are relatively vulnerable when collisions occur. They can sustain blunt-force trauma injuries caused by the weight and momentum of the vehicle. They may sustain injuries if they strike the pavement or end up thrown into traffic after a pedestrian collision.
Numerous factors play a role in the outcome of pedestrian collisions. One of the most important considerations is typically the speed of the vehicle. The faster a motor vehicle travels, the more likely a pedestrian is to sustain debilitating or even fatal injuries in a collision.
On rural roads, vehicles travel far more quickly than they do on highly-traveled urban streets. While pedestrians might assume that roads with fewer vehicles are automatically safer, higher speeds may actually offset any safety gains related to the limited number of vehicles present.
Higher speeds mean worse wrecks
Even in an urban setting, the momentum of a motor vehicle can be enough to cause severe or fatal injuries. At the speeds often seen on rural roads, pedestrians are at significant risk of death.
The risk of serious injury increases with the speed of the vehicle that hits the pedestrian. At 23 miles per hour (mph), which is close to the limit in dense residential neighborhoods, a pedestrian has a 25% chance of sustaining a severe injury. That increases to 50% and 31 mph, 75% and 39 mph and 90% and 46 mph. On rural roads where vehicles travel at 55 mph or more, the risk of severe injury is nearly universal.
The risk of mortality is also quite high. Pedestrians have a 50% chance of death when struck by a vehicle traveling at 42 mph, but that increases to 75% at 50 mph. At 58 mph, pedestrians have a 90% chance of dying in a crash.
Injured pedestrians and grieving families often need help pursuing financial compensation and holding drivers accountable for endangering others with their unsafe habits. Pedestrian collisions can easily generate tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in long-term losses.
A simple insurance claim may not be adequate in cases involving catastrophic injuries or death. Reviewing insurance coverage, collision reports and medical records can help people pursue justice after a serious pedestrian crash.
