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Pedestrian risks abound in Connecticut

 

In New Haven County in 2013, 55 people died in automobile accidents. Seven of those victims were pedestrians.

A FoxCT.com article indicated that a 41-year old man sustained serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle. The pedestrian victim was taken to Hartford Hospital following the incident which happened near Central Connecticut State University. Law enforcement officials launched an investigation into the accident.

A female pedestrian was taken to Windham Hospital after being hit by a vehicle according to WFSB.com. The accident occurred on a Sunday evening in Willimantic. A 77-year old man was in a crosswalk when he was hit by a vehicle in Vernon. The FoxCT.com story noted that the collision took place in the middle of the day on a weekday. The victim was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

An ongoing problem

The above are just a few recaps of recent incidents in which pedestrians have been injured after being hit by motor vehicles. Records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association show that serious pedestrian accidents are not new in Connecticut. Following is some information provided by the NHTSA for 2013:

  • In New Haven County, 55 people died in motor vehicle accidents. Seven of those victims were pedestrians.
  • Hartford County had the most number of pedestrian deaths in the state with 12 such fatalities.
  • In Fairfield County, eight pedestrians lost their lives.
  • Another three pedestrian deaths happened in Windham County.
  • Middlesex, Tolland and New London Counties each lost two pedestrians in fatal accidents.

Only Litchfield County did not experience any pedestrian fatalities that year. Statewide, there were 276 motor vehicle fatalities and 36 pedestrian fatalities.

Understanding the reality of a vehicle-pedestrian impact

It is easy to understand that pedestrians are highly vulnerable to serious injuries when hit by vehicles. However, few people stop to really learn what can happen to a person in this situation. A Texas organization that is tasked with delivering training to emergency and law enforcement personnel created a video that showed a simulated pedestrian accident in slow motion. According to the Houston Chronicle, a crash test dummy was used in the video.

The video shows the knees of the dummy buckling as soon as it makes contact with the vehicle. It is then lifted up and the face of the dummy hits against the vehicle’s front windshield. From there, the dummy is lifted over the entire vehicle and a shoe even comes off due to the force.

What options do pedestrian accident victims have?

Pedestrians who are hit by vehicles always deserve help and compensation. The same is true for their loved ones in the event of a fatal accident. Talking with an attorney is the recommended way of achieving this.

Keywords: pedestrian, accident, Connecticut

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