Despite features to protect them, Connecticut roads can be dangerous places for pedestrians. In 2023, there were 1,474 crashes involving pedestrians in Connecticut. These accidents resulted in serious injuries to 180 people and, tragically, 64 deaths. Compared with 5 years earlier, Connecticut’s pedestrian accident fatalities have risen significantly.
Connecticut’s crosswalk laws are designed to protect pedestrians and provide clear instructions for motorists. If a driver violated Connecticut crosswalk laws, causing your accident and injuries, this could strengthen your case for fast and fair compensation. You could be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, mental anguish, pain and suffering, and other losses you sustained in your accident.
This article will explore Connecticut crosswalk laws in more detail. We will examine how the right Connecticut pedestrian accident attorney can help accident victims pursue fast settlements for personal injury claims.
Understanding Connecticut Crosswalk Laws
Connecticut crosswalk laws were enhanced in October 2021 to provide more protection for pedestrians. Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate pedestrian accidents. This legislation resulted from an alarming rise in pedestrian deaths in the United States, which rose 53 percent in a 9-year period ending in 2018.
Sadly, since then, the number of pedestrian fatalities has risen further still. The Act Concerning Pedestrian Safety requires Connecticut drivers to yield to pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.
Some specific requirements include yielding, slowing, or stopping when a pedestrian:
- Is using any part of the crosswalk
- Steps to the curb and indicates an intention to cross by raising his or her hand or arm toward traffic
- Moves any body part, cane, or wheelchair into the crosswalk’s entrance, indicating an intention to cross
These requirements go much further than the previous law, which only required the driver to yield if the pedestrian had entered the crosswalk’s entrance or stepped off the curb.
Now drivers who fail to yield could receive a $500 fine. If a driver injures or kills a pedestrian, he or she could face criminal charges and personal injury claims.
It is no doubt hoped that these beefed-up laws will help drivers think twice before making right turns into roads with crosswalks without checking if a pedestrian is using them.
The Risk of Pedestrian Crosswalk Accidents
Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to serious injuries and even death because they are unprotected.
The following factors can all influence the severity of injuries pedestrians receive:
- Size of the vehicle
- Speed of travel
- Crosswalk location
- Driver’s alcohol use
Some groups of people are particularly at risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted that seniors accounted for 22 percent of all pedestrian deaths in 2022 despite only making up 17 percent of the population.
Serious injuries quickly run up major medical expenses and lost wages for accident victims. Long-term disabilities may require major changes to homes and lifestyles. If you are facing severe injuries after a crosswalk accident, you need an aggressive personal injury lawyer on your side to fight for fast and fair results.
Each crosswalk accident is unique. However, a personal injury attorney may be able to use Connecticut’s new crosswalk laws to strengthen your case. With an attorney's help, you could receive fair compensation faster.
Building a Strong Pedestrian Accident Case
To build a case that will stand up in negotiations or possibly in court, a personal injury lawyer must provide compelling evidence to satisfy the following 4 legal points:
- Duty of care: The driver had a duty of care toward the pedestrian. This should be easy to prove, as the driver accepted his or her duty to demonstrate reasonable care toward other road users by getting behind the wheel.
- Breach of duty of care: This is where Connecticut’s new laws could strengthen a pedestrian accident case. The attorney must prove that the driver did not uphold his or her duty of care by breaking Connecticut crosswalk laws and endangering the pedestrian’s health and life.
- Causation: The pedestrian’s injuries were caused by the driver’s actions.
- Damages: The injured pedestrian is entitled to compensation for his or her losses.
Drivers and pedestrians must both take reasonable care when using the road. Pedestrians usually have the right of way, but that is not always the case.
Also, a pedestrian who was distracted, intoxicated, or ignored traffic signals at the time of the accident could share some of the blame. However, even if a pedestrian was distracted before the accident, he or she may still be entitled to compensation under Connecticut’s comparative negligence laws.
Steps to Take After a Pedestrian Accident
The opportunity to gather evidence can disappear fast after a pedestrian accident. The following steps can help you gather the information your personal injury lawyer needs to build a strong case for fast and just compensation.
Seek immediate medical attention
After a pedestrian accident, the priority is to seek immediate medical attention. Even if you think your injuries are not serious, get yourself checked out as fast as possible.
First, this will protect your health. Some injuries are not immediately apparent but could leave you in agony and require medical treatment later. The doctor who examines you will recommend any necessary follow-up investigations or treatment. It is crucial to follow through on these recommendations. This will show you have done everything you can to recover as fully as possible from your injuries.
Second, seeking immediate medical attention could protect your legal rights. It could help to prove the causation element of your case by creating a clear link between your pedestrian accident and your injuries. So do not delay in getting yourself examined by a doctor. Acting fast could shut down an insurance company’s attempts to claim your injuries resulted from a different accident.
Call the police
Connecticut law requires all auto accidents involving death, injury, or property damage worth more than $1000 to be reported to law enforcement. The police will take control of the scene and gather details that will form part of the police report.
The police report will include:
- A summary of the accident
- Details of all parties involved
- Eyewitness details
- Citations issued
Your lawyer will check if the driver received a citation for breaking crosswalk laws. A violation could make it easier for Connecticut pedestrian accident attorneys to build a strong case for fast and fair compensation.
Gather evidence at the scene
If you are able, take photographs of the scene, weather conditions, and the vehicles involved. Include clear pictures of the crosswalk to demonstrate where the accident occurred. Also, photograph your injuries as soon as possible after the accident.
Seek legal representation
Unlike drivers, pedestrians do not have an insurance company behind them. If you try to go it alone, you will be at the mercy of the driver’s insurance company, whose sole aim is to pay out as little as possible, preferably nothing. The insurer will make your personal injury claim drag on as long as possible when you need financial assistance as fast as you can get it.
As we have seen, navigating Connecticut’s crosswalk is complex. Connecticut pedestrian accident attorneys have the legal knowledge and experience you need.
Skilled attorneys can untangle questions of liability and build strong cases that stand up to scrutiny. They also know the tactics insurance companies use and how to overcome them.
However, not all Connecticut pedestrian accident attorneys have the same ability to fight for fast and fair results. You need a law firm with a proven track record of getting results in pedestrian accident cases.
Trust “The Fast Firm” to Fight for Fair Compensation
If a driver’s failure to yield has caused you to get hurt, make sure you hire a law firm that never yields in the face of legal challenges. At Gould Injury Law, we care deeply about pedestrian accident victims’ rights. Our attorneys use all the resources at our disposal to fight for fast, fair results for our clients.
Our fast and aggressive approach gets results. We secured a settlement of $1.6 million for a pedestrian hit by a moving car on New Year’s Eve. She suffered serious injuries requiring surgery but now has the compensation she needs to rebuild her life. No doubt you are curious to know what we could do for you.
Find out whether you have a case and how much it could be worth at a free consultation. Call 888-WIN-FAST or complete our contact form, and we will call you back within 24 hours. Do not delay – take the first step on the road to fast results today.
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