Pedestrian Injury Lawsuit
According to the NHTSA, there were 168 pedestrians killed and 4,548 injured in car accidents in the state of Pennsylvania in 2012.One pedestrian severely injured as a result of an automobile crash at a crosswalk was a 93 years old woman, walking from her part-time job at the Justice Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Don’t let the age of the victim fool you. To paint a better picture of this 93 years old woman she “took up a new career when her peers were well into retirement, received a speeding ticket or two in her Pontiac Firebird convertible during her 80s, and was pushed up a mountain in Uganda at age 90 to see a silverback gorilla at the top.” The woman was struck while crossing West Market Street in front of the Chester County Justice Center, which resulted in the amputation of her right leg. The woman seeks $500,000 in compensation, according to the suit. More importantly, she would like to see changes made to the crosswalk where she was hit. County officials said they had determined that the crosswalk safety measures where the 93 years old was hit met the standard of “90 percent or better compliance that was agreed to when the crosswalk warning signals were installed after the Justice Center opened.” The West Chester cross walk accident revealed this was actually an “informal” study. It was not professionally overseen by a certified traffic engineer.
In March, three months after the crash, county commissioners sanctioned the engineering firm of McCormick Taylor Inc. to complete a new study to determine the effectiveness in the safety features of the crosswalk. The county now plans to install additional “LED warning light signs in the block; lower the existing LED warning light signs; add additional ‘Yield to Pedestrian’ and ‘Wait for Vehicles to Yield Before Crossing Signs.’ ”
The most recent 2012 Pennsylvania Accident Statistics study shows that county commissioners across the state should authorize professional studies on crosswalks, particularly those highly traveled by pedestrians. The following statistics were included in the 2012 Pennsylvania Accident Statistics Study:
• The largest number of fatal pedestrian accidents occurred when the pedestrian was entering a crossing or specified location (41.1%).
• The county with the largest number of pedestrian deaths was Philadelphia with 34. Allegheny County had 9 pedestrian deaths in 2012.
• The highest number of pedestrian deaths were ages 75 and over (27). Other age ranges with a high number of deaths include 50-54 (19) and 20-24 (15).