Austin Pedestrian & Bike Accidents An Increasing Problem

According to this morning’s Austin American Statesman, Austin has seen a record number of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities despite the fact that there are still six weeks to go in the year.

About half of the pedestrian fatalities were caused in large part by the pedestrians not being careful.  For example, a number of the deaths involved pedestrians trying to cross IH 35 or other major highways, and a significant portion were caused when the pedestrian was intoxicated.

The bicycling fatalities are different — all were caused by the drivers hitting the cyclist from behind.

These findings mirror my own practice.  I’m seeing increasing number of cases where the victim was a pedestrian or on a bicycle.  Just this year, we’ve handled cases involving a child who was run over and suffered a horrific head injury, a pedestrian who sustained severe leg fractures as he was hit while on a sidewalk, and pedestrians who were hit in parking lots (including one who now needs surgery).

The description of the bike accidents is also similar to the types of accidents we’re seeing.  Most of the bicycle accident victims we’ve represented over the years have involved drivers who have hit the cyclists from behind.  We’ve also seen a number of clients who were injured when the drivers failed to yield to them at intersections — the driver either turns into the cyclist or doesn’t yield the right of way to the cyclist.

Unfortunately, these accidents usually involve significant injuries since pedestrians and cyclists have no protection.

If you or a loved one has been injured as a pedestrian or cyclist, please call us at (512)476-4944 or submit your information via the “submit a case” boxes throughout our website.