Often, when people talk about auto accidents, they usually talk about the injuries sustained by drivers and passengers. But the people inside the cars and trucks are not the only ones who get injured in auto accidents. Pedestrians get injured too, and pedestrian injuries are just as prevalent as driver and passenger injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has compiled some statistics on this matter. According to its latest data in 2013, more than 4700 pedestrians were killed in vehicle-related accidents, and 66,000 sustained an injury of some kind.

Types of injuries sustained by pedestrians due to accidents

Like drivers and passengers, pedestrians suffer a variety of injuries as a result of vehicle accidents. Because a pedestrian does not have the same level of protection as a driver or passenger contained with thousands of pounds of steel, people on foot are more likely to sustain a serious or life-threatening injury from what would have been deemed a “minor” accident between two cars. Serious brain injuries, spinal paralysis, broken or crushed bones – these are far more likely for pedestrians hit by cars or trucks as fast speeds than they might be for passengers or drivers.

Pedestrians also seem to suffer other, less common types of injuries than the people in the cars. They often experience:

• Air leaks in between their lungs and chests
• Blood buildup in between their lungs
• Abnormally rapid resting heartbeats
• Irregular breathing
• Abnormal blood pressure

What are the causes of pedestrian injuries?

A person simply walking around, minding his or her own business, is most likely to sustain an injury by tripping or slipping on an uneven walkway, or by falling in some way. (If you haven’t heard of distracted walking, you should check out this article by the National Safety Council.) When pedestrians are hit by cars, however, there is a better chance that it is the fault of the person behind the wheel. Some of the more common driver mistakes and negligent actions that lead to pedestrian injuries and deaths include:

• Drunk driving
• Distracted driving
• Vehicles making sharp right turns on crosswalks without looking first
• Failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
• Rolling through stop signs
• Illegal parking, which often obstructs the views

If you were out for a walk and sustained an injury in an auto accident with a negligent driver, you may have grounds for a legal claim. We invite you to call 865-546-2141 or contact the Knoxville auto accident attorneys of Banks & Jones. We proudly serve clients in and around Knoxville and throughout the state.