When pedestrians and bicyclists are doing everything right, and nothing wrong, and they are in the crosswalk, they are defenseless and they have no time to react or avoid being hit by a negligent driver’s vehicle. The resulting injuries can be serious or fatal.
Although clients of mine were properly in the crosswalk they were still in harm’s way.
Examples of cases that I have handled involving unsafe driving, causing serious injuries to persons in a crosswalk include the following:
• Two women who were best friends were on their way to lunch, were walking in the crosswalk on a green light, at Central and Osborn in Phoenix, when they were both hit by a driver who was on the job, who ran a red light. One woman was killed, the other suffered multiple serious injuries and immense grief.
• A college student was bicycling southbound in the crosswalk on 44th Street and the SR 202 off ramp in Phoenix, and was hit by a right turning driver, she suffered back and dental injuries.
• A mother of three children, who was a school teacher, was walking to work in the crosswalk at Camelback and 7th Avenue in Phoenix, on a green light, she was hit by a left turning motorist. She was hospitalized and suffered shoulder injuries.
• A bicyclist was returning home from the grocery store, proceeding westbound in the crosswalk at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Thompson Peak Parkway in Scottsdale, on a green light, was hit by a driver who drove a work pick-up truck.
All of these collisions within the crosswalk were avoidable. Personal injury settlements were obtained, however injuries and damages may nevertheless be life changing to the injured, and to their families.