On a nice day, Colorado residents find any reason to enjoy the outdoors. Thus, you find yourself going for more walks, whether it is in the park, residential area, city or in a parking lot traveling to an from your vehicle. But you are likely not alone in your travels. Where there are pedestrians there are likely also motor vehicles. While sidewalks and crosswalks help provide a safe way to walk among vehicles; however, this does not prevent all accident. And when a distracted driver collides with you in a crosswalk, this can completely turn your world upside-down.
There is a growing concern for pedestrian and motorist safety as Colorado Springs sees its sixth traffic-related death in less than a week. Recently, a pedestrian was struck near the intersection of Austin Bluffs Parkway and Brenner place during the late afternoon hours. The pedestrian was stuck by a van while attempting to cross Austin Bluffs. The driver remained at the scene; however, further details of the crash and whether the motorist was charged were not available at this time.
This pedestrian death was the second one in less than a week in Colorado Springs. An earlier crash involved a 55-year-old male that was killed in a hit-and-run crash. In this collision, the man was attempting to cross North Academy Boulevard near Village Seven Road when a dark colored car struck him at around 9 p.m. The motorist did not stop and continued north on North Academy Boulevard.
The other four deaths were in motor vehicle collisions, all of which were presumably caused by their own negligence. The one factor that remained in all of these deaths was negligence on the part of a motorist. This highlights the concern for pedestrians to be aware of motorists, even when they have the right of way. A distracted, speeding or intoxicated driver may not be able to evade a collision with them, resulting in a serious or even fatal crash.
Navigating life after a pedestrian accident can be challenging, as the accident has left you dealing with physical pain and financial damages. Additionally, losing a loved one to such a tragedy can cause much pain and financial losses. There are ways to overcome this difficult time. A personal injury action or wrongful death claim could help assign liability to the motorist that caused the crash. This can assist with the recovery of compensation to address losses such as medical bills, funeral costs, rehabilitation, pain and suffering, lost wages and other damages.