Pedestrian Accident Scenarios in Long Island

There are several common pedestrian accident scenarios in Long Island that individuals need to be aware of in order to protect themselves from aggressive or distracted drivers. If you or a loved one have been harmed due to a motorist’s negligence, consider reaching out to a professional injury attorney as soon as possible to let you know about your legal rights regarding the situation. Read on to learn more about the different pedestrian accident scenarios in Long Island, as well as the ways a dedicated lawyer could offer you their assistance today.

The Right of Way in Crosswalks

When considering pedestrian accident scenarios in Long Island, it is important to know that a pedestrian in a crosswalk always has the right of way. If an individual is hit by a vehicle in that situation, the car driver would be considered at fault. Unfortunately, several pedestrian accident scenarios in Long Island also occur at stop signs. This can happen when motorists do not make a full stop at a stop sign and the pedestrian is walking in the crosswalk, and they may be hit because the driver makes a rolling stop.

Parking lots tend to be scenes for many accidents, especially involving cars backing out of parking spots that are not paying attention to their surroundings. While pedestrians also have the right of way in these scenarios as well, parking lots can be much more dangerous because they can be very crowded, containing aggressive drivers who may not be looking around them when finding a parking spot. For this reason, pedestrians need to be very careful when maneuvering in a parking lot.

Parking Lots

If a parking lot is considered private property, the owner of the property may be considered liable in some accident situations if the design of the parking lot is difficult to maneuver. This may include a need for better signage or a design for safely exiting and entering the premises. Many collisions tend to happen while cars are exiting onto the street from shopping malls where cars are constantly driving in and out. Pedestrians need to be mindful when crossing in front of these drivers because few may be truly paying attention to individuals walking around them. However, in most parking lot pedestrian accident scenarios in Long Island, the motorist will still be responsible for causing the accident in a case of negligence.

The Liability of Common Carriers

The driver of a school bus has a tremendous amount of responsibility to make sure that they are driving well within the speed limit and that they stop in enough time to let pedestrians walk. This is not only because that is the rule of the road but also because they are carrying lots of young people on their bus. All bus drivers have a heavy responsibility to make sure that pedestrians are walking safely in front them because they are considered common carriers. There is some variation between common carriers and cars, because common carrier drivers have a higher obligation and a higher standard of liability than regular motorists when it comes to pedestrians to make sure that those roads are safe.

If you require legal assistance following one of these pedestrian accident scenarios in Long Island, reach out to a dedicated injury attorney today for your representation.