September 3, 2015 | By Greene Broillet & Wheeler
There are a lot of car accident dangers for Los Angeles pedestrians who take to the streets. Furthermore, pedestrians are at an extreme disadvantage when it comes to the risk of getting severely injured, as compared to the motorists who are safely protected inside their heavy automobiles. For this reason, pedestrians and motorists must be very careful to avoid causing or getting into a pedestrian crash.
Because of these dangers, local governments and businesses must be careful to ensure that open-air markets, parks, schools, street fairs, patios, sidewalk cafes, and other areas have been appropriately cordoned off with barriers to keep pedestrians safe from traffic. In fact, they have a legal obligation to do so.
If a business or government fails to install adequate pedestrian crash protection devices, the organization can be held liable in court for damages suffered by any pedestrians injured in a resulting accident. This includes damages relating to injuries, pain and suffering, the cost of medical care, disabilities and wrongful death-related damages in the case of fatal injuries.
At Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, one of our first orders of business in any pedestrian accident case is to evaluate whether the crash was the result of inadequate vehicle barriers. The keyword here is “inadequate” because sometimes barriers do exist, like bushes or greenery, but they are only decorative in nature and achieve nothing in terms of providing safety and protection.
If you suspect that you were injured or your loved one was killed due to inadequate barriers in a pedestrian crash, our law firm is available to help.