Pedestrian Accident | Seattle Personal Injury & Accident Blog

Can I Receive Compensation If I Was Jaywalking?

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on April 8, 2020

Although jaywalking is illegal in Washington state, it is a fairly common practice. Pedestrians may assume that they have the right-of-way, think the fastest route is cutting across a major road rather than heading to a cross-walk, or think the road is empty. However, tragedy often strikes when we least expect it, and jaywalkers are often struck by vehicles. If you were jaywalking at the time you were injured in a pedestrian accident, you may be wondering how it will affect your compensation.

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New Study Finds Pedestrian Safety Features in Cars Fail in Most Dangerous Circumstances

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on December 21, 2019

Research reveals that pedestrian safety features built into new cars fail in the deadliest situations. Researchers in a new AAA study found that automatic emergency braking systems with pedestrian detection perform inconsistently and are entirely ineffective at night. These findings are particularly alarming, as 75% of pedestrian fatalities occur in the dark.

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On Halloween, Distracted Driving Gets Worse

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on October 29, 2018

Halloween is the perfect time to celebrate all things spooky, but it’s also a time when things can get pretty spooky on the road. Read the rest »

Back to School Means Watch Out for Child Pedestrians!

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on September 4, 2018

As summer comes to an end, kids all over America are gearing up to go back to school. And many of them will be walking. Read the rest »

Trail Etiquette in Seattle

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on May 23, 2018

Pedestrians are by far the most vulnerable things on the road. And while they are often cautious about speeding cars, they tend to neglect a less-known danger that comes on two wheels: bicycles. Read the rest »

Trick-or-Treat: Stay Safe on the Street

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on October 30, 2017

Despite decades of urban legends about monstrous strangers hiding razors in candy, the real danger for trick-or-treaters comes from cars on the road. Amidst the fun and revelry of Halloween, it is important to remember that there are drivers on the streets among trick-or-treaters…and not all of them are driving safely. Read the rest »

Pedestrian Safety in Seattle – 8th Best in the Country?

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on September 30, 2017

Smart Growth America has looked at 104 of the most dangerous populated cities in the entire country; out of these, Seattle was ranked eighth-safest for pedestrians – that is, the 97th most dangerous out of the 104 metropolitan areas.

Seattle announced its intention in 2015 to have absolutely no pedestrian deaths or injuries from accidents with vehicles, including bicycles. When compared with other cities with the same goal, such as Nashville, Seattle is doing “okay” in safety. Nashville had 50 pedestrian and cyclist deaths in 2016; Seattle had eight in that same year. Better than the 26 deaths that Washington, D.C., saw and the 13 deaths that made headlines in Portland. Read the rest »

Who’s Liable If You’re Injured by a Skateboarder?

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on August 25, 2017

Skateboarding seems fun. But what happens if that fun ride turns into a dangerous situation? If you’ve been injured by a skateboarder, is he or she to blame? And does the skateboarder have to pay for your injuries and costs? Read the rest »

Look Down: the Dangers of Walking and Texting

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on July 27, 2017

You’ve probably seen the type of video that shows a person walking while looking down at his phone. The video usually ends with him walking into a pole, falling into a hole, or facing some other kind of danger. But while these videos may provide a good laugh, and no one is usually seriously injured as a result, they do demonstrate the very real danger of looking down at your phone when you’re out walking. Read the rest »

Bicyclist v. Pedestrian: Who Wins the Game of Life or Death?

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on May 18, 2017

The drivers of motor vehicles are always being told to watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists, and pedestrians and cyclists are always being told to keep an eye out for cars and trucks. So, why isn’t anyone telling bicyclists to look out for pedestrians, and vice versa? While a bicycle weighs nowhere near as much as a car, the weight of its rider combined with its velocity can deliver enough force to seriously injure or kill an unsuspecting pedestrian. Kill a pedestrian? Yes, that’s happened more than once in New York’s Central Park, as well as in downtown Washington, D.C., and overseas in such places as Australia and the United Kingdom. Read the rest »