Pedestrian Accident Sends Man to Harborview | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

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As a Seattle pedestrian injury lawyer I am constantly reminding friends and family about proper pedestrian safety. Jay-walking, running out in traffic and walking at night can all have disastrous consequences. But still, pedestrians abuse the pedestrian right-of-way law, thinking that since vehicles are required to stop- they will- without considering that a) vehicles aren’t expecting you to run out in front of them, and b) they may not be able to stop in time. On Wednesday, September 22nd a Seattle pedestrian accident left a man in critical condition.

A pedestrian was crossing the street at Aurora Avenue and North 67th street when the accident occurred. The man jumped the barrier to the road and began running across the street West to East crossing nowhere near a marked crosswalk. When the man jumped the barrier into the street and began crossing he was first struck by a van in the inside lane and then seconds later by a truck in the center lane. The pedestrian had entered the road so abruptly that both vehicles were unable to avoid the collision.

The man sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Harborview Medical Center. We hope he recovers quickly from his injuries.

Accidents such as these remind us how important it is to follow road rules and street signs, particularly as a pedestrian. Pedestrians often overuse the right of way law- using it as an excuse to cross traffic when it is unsafe to do so. Pedestrians have to be cautious when crossing streets as it can easily turn deadly.
The Washington State Department of Transportation has some great tips for preventing horrible pedestrian accidents <http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/walk/safety.htm> such as this from happening.

· Walk on Sidewalks
· Cross the street at marked intersections and crosswalks
· Check for traffic before crossing—look to the left—then right—then left again
· Make sure you can see others and they can see you
· Drinking and walking can be very dangerous
· Obey traffic laws and signals- you are required to obey the traffic signals at the risk of not only receiving a ticket, but being injured in a serious pedestrian accident.