Category: Pedestrians accidents

Accidents with vehicles occur all the time throughout the year. When a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object, there are many people who may suffer from injuries. What about those who become a victim while they are walking? Every year, serious injuries and even death occur due to a motorists not realizing the rights that pedestrians have at a crosswalk. If drivers were more aware of the correct way to yield to pedestrians, and pedestrians are aware of when the right time to cross an intersection would be, then less accidents would occur. Read More

You hear or read about it all the time but you never imagine that it could ever happen to you and then just like that, you get injured by a hit and run driver. When this happens, you’ll probably be wondering why someone would do this to another person. Individuals like this must be brought to justice. If you or a loved one has recently been the victim of a hit and run accident, an experienced personal injury lawyer in Kitchener can explain your options. A personal injury lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve so you can get your life back in order, even if it isn’t quite 100%.

After the Accident

Although you will probably be in shock, try to get as many witnesses as you can. Even if the driver takes off, there are other ways that they can be apprehended. However, witnesses are still your greatest asset. Note the color, make, and model of the vehicle as well as any other distinguishing features. File a police report next and make sure you provide all of these details to the recording officer. Hopefully, someone will have taken a picture of the vehicle on their cell phone.

When the Driver leaves the Scene

Whether you’re a cyclist or a pedestrian, you still have rights under the law. Under Canada’s Criminal Code, leaving the scene, or the “failure to remain” as it is referred to in legal terms, is a criminal offense and the driver could be put in jail. If the victim dies, the driver could be sentenced to life in prison. In January, 2016, stricter legislation was enacted to protect cyclists and pedestrians.

Recovering from Your Injuries

When you’re injured in a hit and run accident, you could be entitled to compensation for the following damages and financial loss:

• attendant care or caregiver costs
• emotional and physical pain and suffering
• equipment costs (e.g. wheelchairs or other mobility devices)
• funeral costs and wrongful death
• hospital and medical expenses
• loss of enjoyment or quality of life
• loss of income (past and future)
• rehabilitation care and treatment

The bottom line is that you’ll need the skilled representation that only an experienced personal injury lawyer can provide. In addition to improving your chances of getting a fair and reasonable settlement, they can ensure that your rights to compensation are protected so that you can be financially whole again. Whether it is about out of court settlement or in courtroom trials, they will be able to help you get the right representation.

When it comes to the rules that we have to follow on the road, there are quite a lot of different things that could be said. The Ontario Highway Traffic Act is actually imposing a lot of obligations to the drivers as well as to the pedestrians who are actively using the roadway. With this in mind, it is important to understand that jaywalking which is a quite common phenomenon is not actually defined – it’s a slang term that people use to describe the process of a pedestrian crossing mid-block. Read More

The most common pedestrian deaths occur amongst children and senior citizens. These two age groups account for over 60% of pedestrian related deaths. Because of this, Toronto has restructured their laws surrounding these occurrences and has increased the attention to upholding these new laws. Children often find themselves the victims of pedestrian/traffic accidents because of their size. While failing health and stability relates to the increase in senior citizen related accidents. Most often child related traffic accidents occur near school zones or with school buses. As a whole, most pedestrian traffic accidents occur because of a violation of traffic/driving regulations. The new laws have been put into place to circumvent these commonalities. Read More