Pedestrian Accidents Usually Result in Serious Injuries
Arkansas has seen a steep rise in pedestrian crashes in recent years, according to a report by Smart Growth America. The report identified the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan area as the tenth deadliest city for pedestrians in the United States in 2024. Other nearby states, including Tennessee, Missouri, and Louisiana, also made the top ten.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) estimates that 67 pedestrians died in roadway accidents in 2022. While this number represents a downward trend from 2021’s total, it’s still higher than the 2019 total of 61 deaths – indicating that Arkansas still has work to do to keep its streets safe.
Arkansas State Police Announce Pedestrian Safety Campaign
According to the Arkansas State Police, Arkansas recorded 2,407 pedestrian accidents and 837 bicycle accidents between 2020 and 2023.
2024 is still on track to be another dangerous year for pedestrians in Arkansas. To this end, the Arkansas State Police announced a safety campaign in September 2024.
The campaign, called “Extreme Safety,” focused on giving drivers safety tips to help prevent collisions with pedestrians. It also reminded pedestrians and bicyclists to practice safety while traveling. State police and city officials throughout Arkansas restated their commitment to reducing pedestrian deaths to zero in the state’s largest metropolitan areas, including Bentonville.
The Extreme Safety campaign ran from September 3 to September 16, 2024 – ending just days before the September 19 Bentonville pedestrian crash.
While safety campaigns can provide essential information to the public, they cannot substitute for drivers implementing safety practices. Collisions between cars and pedestrians are preventable – but only if everyone on the road practices the necessary care to prevent injuries.
What To Do If You’re Injured in a Pedestrian Crash
Pedestrian accidents have gotten more deadly in recent decades. Several factors contribute to this rise in deaths, including an increase in the size and weight of vehicles, increased traffic in busy pedestrian areas, and higher rates of drivers speeding.
If you or someone you love is injured in a pedestrian crash:
- Put safety first. If possible, move yourself and others out of the way of traffic – but avoid moving a person who is unconscious or appears seriously injured. Use vehicle lights, flashlights, flares, or brightly colored objects to warn oncoming traffic.
- Get emergency help. Call 911, even if you think someone else at the scene is calling as well. Emergency first responders can address serious injuries, secure the scene, and gather important information about the accident.
- Learn what you can. If possible, speak to witnesses at the scene. Get their contact information and a brief description of what they saw, heard or felt. Also, take notes, draw a diagram, or take photos or videos to capture the scene in the moment and record your own experience when it’s fresh in your mind.
- Get medical attention. After an accident, emergency medical teams may take you to a local hospital or emergency department for care. If you didn’t go to the ER immediately following the accident, see a doctor as soon as possible. Prompt medical care helps you recover. It also provides a record of what happened to you.
- Speak to an insurance company – but stick to the facts. If you have the insurance information of the driver who hit you, contact their insurance company to file a claim. If not, you may be able to file a claim under your own insurance policy, if you have one. When filing your claim, don’t speculate about who caused the crash. Instead, stick to the facts: the date, time, and place of the accident, what happened, and what injuries your doctor’s visit revealed.
If you suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash, you may have been unable to take any steps to gather evidence at the scene. If so, talk to an experienced Bentonville pedestrian accident attorney right away. A lawyer can investigate your accident and injuries and gather information to build a case for you. To learn more, contact the Law Office of Jason M. Hatfield, P.A. today. Call us or use our online form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.