Pedestrian Deaths Skyrocket in LA during Pandemic

As cities, counties, and towns in the LA metro region open back up after the COVID-19 stay at home order, more people are out and along with them their cars. Unfortunately, this is already putting pedestrians at risk for serious injury or death. Pedestrians have been dying and getting seriously injured at an alarming rate in cities all over the country, including LA.

There is no consensus among safety experts on why pedestrian deaths have skyrocketed in the last half-decade especially while overall traffic deaths have steadily gone down. The stay-at-home orders had a dramatic effect on traffic in the greater LA area including a reduction in deaths.

However, if this last week is any indication, it looks like pedestrian deaths may not be reversing its pre-COVID-19 trend.

Three Pedestrians Killed in One Week around Los Angeles

Three pedestrians died in the past week in Los Angeles adding to an already tough year for pedestrians in the region. On Tuesday, May 19, 2020, a 20-year-old man was hit on the 5 Freeway just north of Alicia Parkway in the southbound lanes. The CHP doesn’t know why the man was walking on the freeway, and no one else was injured.

On Thursday, May 21, 2020,  a pedestrian died after he was struck by a car on the 210 Freeway in Sylmar. There are no details of the crash, and it’s unknown if anyone else was injured.  Then on Saturday, May 23, 2020, a man was killed walking on the 5 Freeway in Laguna Hills after being struck by a tractor-trailer.

Preliminary reports say the man was walking on or near the right lane when the big rig hit him. The driver stopped to help and waited for the police to show up. The Orange County Fire Department pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Pedestrian Accidents

When pedestrians are injured in a car accident, they are largely unprotected having nothing except clothing between them and the motor vehicle. Also, a motor vehicle on average weighs about 20x more than the average person. Much worse if a pedestrian were hit by a Metrolink train, where the damage could be a lot worse.

Because of this, pedestrian fatalities are much greater per accident than are occupants of a motor vehicle. According to a report from the NHTSA, .006 (1/22 of a percent) of occupants of a motor vehicle die when motor vehicles crash, whereas 6% of pedestrians die when a car and a pedestrian collide.

This shows how dangerous is it to be a pedestrian walking among motor vehicles.

Pedestrian Injuries

At the Law Offices of Steers & Associates, we have seen the damage a motor vehicle can do to a person and have helped many pedestrian victims get the compensation from the at-fault driver. Some of the common injuries we have seen are:

• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Blunt Force Trauma
• Broken Collarbone
• Broken Legs/Arms
• Shattered Knees/Hips
• Severe Road Rash
• Crush Injuries
• Organ Damage
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Compound Fracture

Contact a Los Angeles Pedestrian Injury Attorney

The best thing to do when injured in an automobile accident is to talk to a Los Angeles Pedestrian Injury Attorney who understands the law and has experience getting injured victims the compensation they deserve.

Call the Law Firm of Steers & Associates at 800 824 5416 or click here to contact us online. We have attorneys with years of experience dealing with every type of personal injury, and we get results against the insurance companies and their highly-paid lawyers. Call us now to even the playing field and get the compensation you deserve.

Allen Vaysberg

Allen Vaysberg practices personal injury law and works tirelessly to defeat the tactics of insurance companies and large corporations who try to deny justice and fair compensation to injured people.