Although multi-vehicle accidents typically involve two or more vehicles striking one another, there are circumstances in which a pedestrian could be struck more than once. This is especially true on busier streets and roads where an approaching vehicle may not have time to stop or doesn’t see the pedestrian who had been hit. 

That may have been the case recently when a 26-year-old man was struck by a Toyota Corolla on Broadway in Long Island, New York. Tragically, a second car, described as a dark-colored Mercedes Benz, also struck the victim. While the driver of the Toyota remained at the scene, the other driver fled.                 

Pedestrian Crash Statistics 

According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, in 2011 there was a total of 15,928 pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes. Of those, 296 pedestrians were killed and 15,689 were injured. The majority of these crashes were considered minor (9,351). There were 2,819 moderate severity crashes and 1,881 serious crashes. 

The time of day at which these accidents mostly occurred was in the afternoon and evening hours (3 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.). Most of these pedestrian accidents in New York were single vehicle crashes (15,293). Those involving two or more vehicles totaled 635, significantly less than the single vehicle crashes but far too many overall. 

Liability for Pedestrian Accidents 

Not all pedestrian accidents are the fault of a driver. Sometimes it could be that the person has walked against a signal or darted out into traffic. 

But when it is the result of driver negligence, it could stem from: 

• distracted driving;
• speeding;
• intoxication; and
• other careless or reckless actions. 

To learn if compensation may be available after a serious pedestrian accident, contact Gacovino, Lake & Associates. They assist injured victims or the families who have lost a loved one explore their options and take legal action.

Distracted driving is not only a serious risk factor for a car accident but it could be a poor example for future drivers. A recent study found that nearly 90 percent of parents surveyed had admitted to engaging in some type of distracted behavior in the past month while behind the wheel. 

The most common was talking on a cell phone. But parents are also using these devices to surf the web. Texting was the least common distraction, as only about 10 percent of the parents surveyed said this was a distraction in the last month. 

Although there has been a spike in the use of cell phones and similar types of technology, parents also admitted to being distracted in other ways. For instance, assisting a child, such as by picking up a toy dropped on the floor. 

Other distractions include: 

• feeding a child;
• self-grooming;
• using a GPS; and
• utilizing other features of the vehicle (radio, etc.). 

The researchers also found that parents who inappropriately restrain their children – by incorrectly using a seat belt or car seat – were two and a half times more likely to be distracted by the child.                  

Distractive Behaviors That Could Be Contributing Factors in an Accident 

Parents are not immune to distractions like phone conversations, checking Facebook or reading email. As the Distraction.gov website points out, when a driver’s eyes aren’t on the road for even just four and a half seconds, it is the same as driving blindfolded the entire length of a football field at 55 miles per hour. 

Determining what led to an accident can sometimes be challenging. Rarely will a person admit of his or her own accord that he or she was doing something that could have caused an accident. For help in learning if distracted driving might have been a cause, contact an attorney at Gacovino, Lake & Associates.