Working with an experienced Fort Lauderdale injury attorney helps ensure you’re leaving no opportunity for compensation off the table.

Fort Lauderdale Pedestrian Accident Statistics

Walking is dangerous business in South Florida, the state that ranks No. 1 in pedestrian deaths in the United States, according to thinktank Smart Growth America.

There have been nearly 1,700 pedestrian deaths just in South Florida between 2010 and 2019, which works out to about 2.8 deaths per 100,000 residents. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach region of Florida ranks No. 13 in the nation for pedestrian danger, but Florida holds 7 of the top 10 most dangerous places for pedestrians (Orlando, Palm Bay, Daytona Beach, Sarasota, Tampa, Lakeland and Jacksonville). Cape Coral-Fort Myers ranks No. 11.

Smart Growth America uses a Pedestrian Death Index to rank metro areas and states. The analysis measures how deadly it is for people walk there based on the number of people struck and killed there while walking compared to the percentage of individuals who routinely walk as part of their work commute. south Florida’s PDI was 172. Orlando, which ranked No. 1, had a PDI of 295. Florida overall had a PDI of 201.

Those at highest risk for Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accidents included:

• Older pedestrians (those who may have challenges hearing, seeing, and moving).
• People of color (Blacks were killed in pedestrian accidents at a more than 80 percent higher rate than White, non-Hispanics).
• Pedestrians in lower-income neighborhoods (often where there are fewer crosswalks, sidewalks, and slower speeds).

How a South Florida Injury Lawyer Can Help

As mentioned before, Florida requires PIP coverage as the first resource to which traffic crash victims can turn. PIP is coverage every driver is supposed to carry, and it provides up to $10,000 in damages (medical expenses and a portion of lost wages) regardless of who was at-fault.

Some pedestrians carry PIP because they are also drivers who just happened to be walking at the time of the crash. PIP can cover household members (as will often apply to children, teens, and young adults living with their parents, etc.). However, if the pedestrian is not covered by their own PIP, the driver’s PIP carrier should provide them with this coverage – even if the pedestrian was at-fault for the crash.

But pedestrian injuries are often quite serious, and $10,000 only scratches the surface. Florida requires anyone wishing to step outside the no-fault system to pursue a claim against an at-fault driver have injuries that meet the serious injury threshold criteria, as spelled out in F.S. 627.737.

However, let’s say the driver was not identified, does not have insurance, or does not have enough insurance to cover your damages. Your primary option at that point is likely your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. This is optional coverage that comes standard with most auto insurance policies, and it extends coverage to you if the at-fault driver is not identified, doesn’t have insurance, or lacks adequate insurance to compensate you for your injuries.

If you do not have UM/UIM coverage, your options from there may be limited to your own health insurance coverage, unless there are potential third parties who may be liable.

Initial consultations with an experienced Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident attorney can help protect your rights and ensure you are exploring all viable legal avenues.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

Dangerous By Design 2021, Smart Growth America

More Blog Entries:

Mistakes When Dealing With an Insurer After a Fort Lauderdale Car Accident, July 1, 2021, Fort Lauderdale Injury Lawyer Blog

In its Dangerous by Design 2021 report, Smart Growth America notes that 1,675 pedestrians have died in Florida from 2010 to 2019, which amounts to 2.8 pedestrian accident deaths per 100,000 residents. The analysis establishes a Pedestrian Death Index to assess the risks and rank the road safety status in cities and states. It looks at how dangerous it is for people to walk in a given area based on the number of people injured and killed in pedestrian accidents controlled for the population and the number of folks who walk to work as a measure of average overall walking in the region. South Florida’s PDI was 171.9. The metro area with the highest PDI was Orlando, with a PDI of 295 and 3 deaths per 100,000 people.

Among states, Florida was once again No. 1, with nearly 5,900 people killed and a PDI of 201.4. Most other states with high pedestrian danger were in the South, including Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas. New Mexico, Arizona and Delaware were also high on the list. Among the top 13 most dangerous metro areas, regions in Florida held nine of those slots.

Demographically, the report revealed some groups were at higher odds for injury than others. Among those:

• Older pedestrians.
• People of color.
• Pedestrians in low-income neighborhoods.

Over the last decade, Black pedestrians died at a rate that was 82 percent higher than White, non-Hispanic pedestrians. One contributing factor could be a greater likelihood to live in areas lacking marked crosswalks, sidewalks and safe design that supports slower speed (and therefore less serious injury in the event of a collision).

As for those over 50 (particularly those 75 and older), challenges with moving, hearing and seeing may be contributing factors.

Recovering Damages After South Florida Pedestrian Accident

As longtime Fort Lauderdale injury attorneys, we have represented many survivors of pedestrian accidents and sometimes loved ones left behind. Recovering damages after a South Florida pedestrian accident can be a bit different than pursuing claims in a typical car accident case. This is because not only do pedestrian accidents tend to result in more serious injuries than most other types of crashes, but people on foot aren’t required to carry insurance like drivers do.

One of the first places we’ll look to for recovery is the pedestrian’s own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. This is no-fault medical bills and lost wages coverage of up to $10,000 that would be on the pedestrian’s personal auto insurance policy, which will cover them even though they weren’t driving and regardless of who was at-fault for the collision. If the pedestrian didn’t own a car, it’s possible they could make a PIP claim on a policy held by any relative with whom they were living. If they didn’t own a car or live with a relative who had car insurance, the PIP coverage of the driver who struck the pedestrian could cover medical bills. However, if the pedestrian wasn’t a Florida resident, PIP may not extend coverage. One’s health insurance might also cover their medical bills, though won’t cover lost wages. Of course, $10,000 doesn’t go very far when someone is seriously injured. In the event PIP is not enough to cover the full extent of one’s damages, plaintiffs can file a claim against the at-fault driver for bodily injury liability coverage – assuming the driver was at-fault in the collision. If that’s the case, not only the driver but the vehicle owner may be liable. Florida is a pure comparative fault state, meaning you can still collect damages if you were partially at-fault, but your damage award will be proportionately reduced. So if you are found 25 percent at-fault, you would be entitled to collect only 75 percent of the damages. If the driver didn’t have insurance or only carried the minimum amount, a pedestrian could file a claim with their own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) carrier. Most Florida pedestrian accident claims can be settled without a lawsuit. If you have questions on how the process works or the steps to take, our Fort Lauderdale injury lawyers can answer your questions.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

South Florida is 13th-most dangerous region in America for pedestrians; Florida is most dangerous state, March 21, 2021, By Chris Perkins, The Sun-Sentinel

More Blog Entries:

When Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Injuries Exceed Insurance Coverage, Jan. 21, 2021, Fort Lauderdale Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

As our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys can explain, victims of pedestrian accidents have several legal avenues for compensation and accountability. These include no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) benefits, as well as bodily injury liability claims against at-fault drivers/vehicle owners/employers and possibly uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Several recent Florida pedestrian accident lawsuits stem from unspeakable tragedy: Two college students killed and a handful more injured in two pedestrian accidents near the same area just a month apart.more

In the first case, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Florida in Gainesville was struck in a crosswalk by the driver of a BMW who fled the scene. She died on the roadway. According to her family’s wrongful death lawsuit, the vehicle was later discovered at a local auto repair shop with blood and damage to the hood.

A few weeks alter, a 19-year-old student was struck and killed while four others were seriously injured as they stood on a sidewalk near the university. Several lawsuits filed after that incident name the 28-year-old driver as well as Uber, for whom he was reportedly working at the time he collided with another vehicle near the intersection, causing the second vehicle to spin out of control and hit the crowd. Speed was believed to have been a factor.

At the university, several organizations, including Gators Against Student Pedestrian Deaths and Florida Not One More have cropped up to advocate for more pedestrian-friendly roads, particularly around universities, where most students travel on foot or bicycle.

Florida Pedestrian Accident Facts

According to the GHSA, most pedestrian accidents take place on local roads, at night and away from intersections. This suggests the need for road crossings that are safer and ways to make both vehicles and pedestrians more visible in the dark. Although pedestrian deaths overall have risen nationally, those at night spiked nearly 70 percent compared to those in the day, which increased 16 percent.

The larger the vehicle the more likely a serious injury or fatality. Pedestrians who are struck by a large sport utility vehicle are two times as likely to die of their injuries compared to those hit by a car. Although there are more passenger cars involved in fatal pedestrian accidents, the increasing popularity of SUVs is one factor in why deadly pedestrian accidents have spiked.

Pedestrians are uniquely at a disadvantage in a collision, being without seat belts, helmets or other protections as automobile occupants and operators.

Holding drivers accountable for careless, reckless or criminal behavior behind the wheel is what we do. If you have been injured in a Florida pedestrian accident, our dedicated Fort Lauderdale injury lawyers are committed to securing fair compensation and justice for what you’ve endured.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State, 2019, GHSA

The simple act of going to work on foot, walking your dog or enjoying an after-dinner stroll is increasingly a risk to your safety in the Sunshine State. The Governors Highway Safety Administration reported more pedestrian accident deaths in 2018 than in the last 30 years. With nearly 6,230 pedestrians killed that year, it was 4 percent more than the year before and higher than it’s been since 1990.

In fact, as our Fort Lauderdale injury attorneys can explain, while motor vehicle deaths have been steadily falling over the last year, pedestrian accident fatalities have spiked by 35 percent.

Why Pedestrians are at Greater Risk

Part of the reason pedestrians are at greater risk on our roads has to do with physiology. There are more large trucks on the road, and an increasing number of drivers are opting for larger vehicles, like sport utility vehicles. These are far more likely to kill a pedestrian than smaller, more compact cars simply due to the size and weight differential.

In the last five years, the number of pedestrian deaths involving an SUV increased by 50 percent.

That doesn’t fully explain the problem, though, because fatal pedestrian accident deaths involving passenger cars increased by 30 percent during this same time frame. Passenger cars still make up the majority of vehicles involved in all pedestrian crashes.

Likely the bigger problem has to do with driver distraction, facilitated in particular with motorists fiddling with their phones. Just recently in Kansas, NBC News reported a beloved, 88-year-old crossing guard was killed while saving the lives of two young children by preventing them from crossing the street as a distracted driver barreled through the crosswalk without braking.

Although it’s tough to come by reliable statistics on the number of pedestrian accidents caused by distracted drivers, we do know that drivers using cell phones are 2-6 times more likely to crash compared to those who aren’t distracted. An aggregate analysis of 28 distracted driver studies reveals that typing or reading text messages:

• Significantly slows a driver’s reaction time;
• Increases lane deviations;
• Increases the length of time drivers looked away from the roadway.

In Florida, NPR reports that local distracted drivers – not tourists – are to blame for the majority of crashes.

Filing a Florida Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit

Florida is a no-fault state when it comes to any type of car accident. That means one must first collect from their own personal injury protection (PIP) policy, as outlined in F.S. 627.736. Injured pedestrians can seek coverage through their own PIP policy, which is required of all registered drivers in the state. This provides up to $10,000 in coverage for medical expenses and lost wages/disability. You can pursue this regardless of who was at-fault. PIP extends coverage to anyone listed on the policy AND any relatives of the insured who live in the same household.

However, pedestrians aren’t required to carry insurance the way drivers are, and $10,000 tends not to go very far.

In that case, you can file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer, but you’ll have to prove negligence. These claims may be paid out through the driver’s bodily injury liability policy. If that driver does not have insurance OR if that insurance policy doesn’t provide enough to fully compensate you for your injuries, you can pursue a claim with your own uninsured/underinsured motorist carrier.

In some instances, there could be grounds for a third-party liability claim. For example, if the driver was drunk and underage, you may be able to file a claim against whichever establishment furnished the alcohol under Florida’s dram shop laws.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a Florida pedestrian accident, we can help.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

Why Pedestrian Deaths Are At A 30-Year High, March 28, 2019, By Sea Stachura, Morning Edition, NPR

According to news reports, the trio were reportedly walking back to their hotel along Southwest 42nd Street after dinner. They were in a wide swath of grass when a pickup truck driver veered toward them and crossed over from the westbound lane to the eastbound lane and then onto the shoulder of the road. Authorities said speed and alcohol are likely factors in this pedestrian accident.

Florida – and South Florida in particular – is a perilous place for pedestrians, and has been for some time. Addressing these issues may take an approach that considers better traffic engineering and more targeted enforcement. However, those efforts can only go so far if drivers continue to disregard our traffic laws and the safety of pedestrians. Two recent reports show the problems, at least for now, aren’t getting better.

The Governors Highway Safety Association recently released its 2016 preliminary data on Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State. It’s a 38-page report that begins with this: The number of pedestrian accident deaths in the U.S. has increased by 25 percent from 2010 to 2015, while total traffic deaths climbed by about 6 percent.

The latest figures, looking at statistics from the first six months of 2016, during which they noted an increase of 7 percent from the previous time frame in 2015. However, after adjusting for the under-reporting in those preliminary figures, the number of pedestrians killed last year is estimated to have increased by 11 percent compared with 2015. That’s the largest annual increase in 40 years – the second largest being from 2014 to 2015.

What’s more, pedestrian deaths as a portion of the total number of traffic deaths has also risen, from 11 percent back in 2006 to 15 percent in 2015. Based on this preliminary data, it’s believed about 6,000 pedestrians died nationally last year. Four states – Florida, California, Texas and New York – accounted for 42 percent of those.

Now let’s talk specifically about state-level data.

In Florida in the first six months of 2016, there were 301 reported pedestrian accident deaths. That’s compared to 277 during the same time frame – January through June – of 2015, an 8.7 percent increase. It wasn’t the largest spike, but it was higher than the national average increase of 7 percent.

In terms of sheer numbers, Florida ranked No. 3, with California and Texas both counting more fatalities. However, consider that both of these states have population numbers that far exceed our own, which means the rate of pedestrian fatalities is much higher here than the other two states. New York ranked 4th.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles released a report late last year detailing traffic accident deaths from 2015 as compared to 2014. With regard to pedestrian accidents specifically, state officials reported there were:

• 9,085 reported pedestrian accidents in 2015 – a 2.79 percent increase from a year earlier.
• 632 pedestrian accident deaths in 2015, an increase of 4.3 percent from the year before.
• 7,870 pedestrian accident injuries in 2015, a 1.72 percent increase from 2014.

Some of the strategies outlined by the GHSA to reduce pedestrian accident fatalities and injuries include:

• Separating pedestrians from motor vehicles by creating refuge islands, building more sidewalks and overpasses, provide ample crossing time at traffic signals;
• Making pedestrians more visible to drivers by improving street lighting and designing high-visibility crosswalks;
• Engineering and enforcing measures to lower speeds by creating “road diets,” roundabouts, traffic-calming devices (i.e., speed bumps and curb extensions) and automated enforcement in addition to traditional enforcement;
• Increasing public awareness through various public information campaigns.

If you have been injured or hurt in a Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident, you may have a number of legal avenues from which to pursue compensation.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State, March 2017, GHSA

More Blog Entries:

FHP Launches Program to Help Solve Hit-and-Run Crash Cases, April 3, 2017, Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Blog

He was one of 7,870 people injured in pedestrian accidents in Florida last year, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). The agency’s latest traffic accident statistics report indicates there was a nearly 2 percent increase in pedestrian injuries in the Sunshine State last year. There was a 3 percent increase in the number of overall pedestrian crashes (from 8,838 in 2014 to 9,085 in 2015), as well as a 4.3 percent increase in the number of pedestrian accident fatalities (from 606 in 2014 to 632 in 2015).

The total number of traffic accidents last year was 374,342 – a 9 percent increase from the year before. Pedestrian accidents comprised 2.4 percent of all traffic crashes, but 23.6 percent of all fatal crashes last year.

Broward County accounts for a substantial number of overall pedestrian accidents in Florida – 1,098 last year. That was a 3.5 percent increase from the year before. In both years, there were 60 fatalities, while injuries increased from 950 to 980. In Miami-Dade, there was a 5.4 percent increase in pedestrian accidents, from 1,522 in 2014 to 1,604 in 2015. The number of pedestrian accident deaths in Miami-Dade spiked 21 percent just in that one year alone, from 77 to 93. Injuries from pedestrian accidents in Miami-Dade last year were 1,440, compared to 1,390 the year before.

The report doesn’t offer any insight as to why we are seeing this uptick in pedestrian accidents, but we do know that Florida historically has always had one of the highest rates of pedestrian accidents nationally. A report in 2014 by Smart Growth America revealed Florida cities -including Miami/Fort Lauderdale – topped the list of the most dangerous places to walk in America. A big part of the reason why is because roads were designed to accommodate fast-moving vehicular traffic, and was not structured with bicycle or pedestrian travel in mind. Although an increasing number of cities are adopting “Complete Streets” initiatives, it apparently isn’t happening fast enough, as seen by the uptick in pedestrian fatalities.

It’s worth noting that traffic accidents overall are up, which analysts have largely attributed to an overall increase in motor vehicle traffic, mostly owing to an improved economy.

What complicates so many of personal injury claims involving pedestrian accidents is that a substantial portion are hit-and-run. In many cases, plaintiffs must rely on applicable uninsured/ underinsured motorist coverage.

The case out of Lakeland is somewhat unique in that plaintiff is not claiming negligence against the driver of the car, but rather the police officers who were reportedly entrusted with his care. According to The Ledger, police and paramedics were called to the scene of an intoxicated person by the road early one morning. They arrived to find plaintiff, highly intoxicated. Officers promised paramedics they would transport the man to the hospital. However, instead of taking plaintiff into custody and transporting him, as they promised, they reportedly allowed him to simply walk away. It is alleged by plaintiff that the officers were behind on ticket quotas and didn’t want to deal with the time and paperwork that a hospital visit would entail.

An hour later, plaintiff was reportedly laying in the middle of the road when he was struck and dragged beneath a vehicle. The impact of this crushed his pelvis, legs and ribs, lacerated his liver, urethra and abdominal wall, fractured his face and resulted in a brain bleed. At the time, his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. He was in the hospital four months and underwent numerous surgeries.

Plaintiff alleges the officers owed him a duty to make sure he was safe from danger – including the foreseeable danger of leaving an intoxicated person incapable of caring for himself alongside a major roadway in the dark, early morning hours.

An internal affairs investigation by the police department cleared the officers. The police said they spoke with plaintiff to make sure he could make rational decisions and he had insisted he did not want money for a taxi or a ride home.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

Lawsuit filed against Lakeland police, city in pedestrian accident, Nov. 2, 2016, By Suzie Schottelkotte, The Ledger

More Blog Entries:

Anderson v. Hilton Hotels Corp. – Florida Supreme Court Weighs Right to Attorney Fees for Injury Plaintiff, Nov. 14, 2016, Fort Lauderdale Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Blog

Unfortunately, it seems more and more accidents are involving pedestrians with strollers. Although there are no available statistics on the issue, the anecdotal evidence is mounting.

Take for example the most recent case in Florida, which occurred in Fort Lauderdale. According to the Sun-Sentinel, a mother and 18-month-old baby girl were rushed to a nearby hospital on a recent night after being struck by a car. The report was that mother and child in stroller were crossing Davie Boulevard in the crosswalk. The vehicle was traveling eastbound.

Officials at this point have not cited anyone or indicated who may be at-fault in the crash, which occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m., but we know the driver stayed at the scene. While interviewed by a local television news crew, driver Carmen Perez was quoted as saying, “In a fraction of seconds, she was under the car.” Perez insisted she was driving slowly, and appeared visibly shaken by the ordeal. The mother and toddler were listed in critical condition at Broward Medical Health Center.

The horrific scene mirrors another that occurred last month in Clearwater. There, according to NBC affiliate News Channel 8, a two-vehicle collision also resulted in a mother and child in a stroller being struck as they traversed the adjacent sidewalk. A witness to that accident told local news reporter that the baby was thrown into some bushes nearby when the vehicle struck the stroller. The baby, she said, was bleeding from the chest and nose and was gasping for air as her mother, who was also injured, cradled her. She was just two-months-old.

Medics were able to stabilize the infant in order to fly her to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. Her injuries were serious, but not believed to be life-threatening. Investigators say the crash was caused when a 78-year-old driver of a smart car attempted to turn left and failed to yield to a vehicle in the opposite direction, driven by a 19-year-old. The older driver struck the vehicle of the younger driver, and one of those cars struck the mother and child who were at the corner of the intersection, on the sidewalk. The two drivers were also hospitalized, but their injuries were not as serious.

And back in September, a 16-year-old girl was killed in Port St. John (near Orlando) when she her boyfriend, who was pushing a baby stroller, were struck from behind while walking in the middle of a road by a 42-year-old passenger car driver. According to ClickOrlando.com, The boyfriend and the 19-month-old baby girl suffered serious injuries, but the 16-year-old girl survived. The driver told troopers it was dark and she never saw or expected the three in the roadway.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys understand the varying circumstances of these cases will impact the type and amount of compensation these victims can receive. It’s imperative those injured contact a law firm with proven success to ensure no option is left off the table.

Call Fort Lauderdale Injury Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Additional Resources:

Woman, toddler crossing Fort Lauderdale street struck by SUV, officials say, Dec. 14, 2015, By Linda Trischitta, Sun Sentinel

More Blog Entries:

Porsche Points Finger at Paul Walker for Crash That Killed Him, Dec. 13, 2015, Fort Lauderdale Injury Lawyer Blog