Car Accident Lawyer Urbana Illinois | What to do if you hit a pedestrian

You’ve hit a pedestrian with your car. You’re understandably worried about what’s going on, but there are some important steps you can take. Contact the police and get an ambulance if they need medical attention. Once everything is in order, you need a car accident lawyer Urbana Illinois. 

If you hit a pedestrian, you need to do everything you can to help them. You need to protect them from any further harm. Then, you should protect yourself. Accidents happen and you don’t have to lose everything because of a mistake. At Kelly & Castagna, our attorneys have the experience and passion to help you. Contact us today for a consultation at 309-820-0600.

Are pedestrian accidents common?

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) pedestrian fatalities increased from 2010 to 2021 by 77%. In 2021, there were 7,624 pedestrian fatalities, which is about 18% of all traffic related deaths. The state of Illinois had about 212 pedestrian deaths or 3% of the total number of deaths.  

Pedestrians can be hit while walking on the sidewalk, along a road, crossing the street, or in parking lots. When this happens, a pedestrian accident can be a traumatic experience for all parties involved. As more of us live in cities and drive more frequently than ever before, it’s important to know what to do when you hit a pedestrian with your car. Our car accident lawyer Urbana Illinois can help you determine what the best course of action is if you hit a pedestrian.

Safety Precautions

Pedestrians can follow basic safety standards to avoid cars. When walking along a road, always use designated crosswalks and follow traffic signals and signage. This will help avoid accidents with vehicles that may not expect pedestrians in certain areas of the road. When walking at night, pedestrians should wear bright colored or reflective clothing and can carry a small flashlight. This will allow others to see them, especially drivers. 

Drivers can also take some basic safety precautions to avoid hitting pedestrians. If you’re driving your car, slow down before approaching an intersection with crosswalk lights. Stop completely at each intersection until it’s safe to proceed through without endangering yourself or others on foot who need to cross in front of you. Always be aware of your surroundings and check your blind spots. When you employ safety measures, an accident is less likely.

Important things to remember

It can be a difficult and stressful situation if you have hit a pedestrian with your vehicle, but it is important not to panic. There are many things that should not be done in order to ensure the safety of both yourself and the injured party. These include:

• Do not attempt to move an injured pedestrian yourself unless they are in immediate danger of being hit by other vehicles.
• If it is not an emergency, don’t attempt to provide medical assistance if you are not trained to do so.
• If you do decide to wait for help, make sure that someone knows that you’re waiting with an injured person and how long it will take before help arrives.
• Don’t leave until someone else has arrived who can assist in moving the pedestrian safely into another vehicle or somewhere else safe until medical care arrives at their location.
• Once emergency responders arrive, do not leave until they have taken over care of your injured or unconscious pedestrian, companion, or any other injured parties involved in this accident. 
• Contact a car accident lawyer Urbana Illinois to get the legal support you will need.

Steps to take

As stated before, call 911 immediately. Don’t wait. The longer it takes for emergency responders to get there, the worse things can get for everyone involved.

Make sure you record information about what happened. Where exactly where you? How fast was the car going? Ask other witnesses what they saw. If anyone has taken a video, ask for that footage. You should also take pictures of the scene. All of this documentation will be important information for the police, the insurance company, and your car accident lawyer Urbana Illinois.

Once you’ve made sure everyone is safe and taken down as much information as possible, contact all of the parties that you need to, like the insurance company and an attorney.

Our car accident lawyer Urbana Illinois is here to help

If you’ve hit a pedestrian with your car, the most important thing that you can do is stay calm and wait for help to arrive. This will help keep the injured pedestrian calm as well. Then, take time to document everything that happened before, during, and after the accident.