A Webster Groves-area high school student is recovering after being hit in a pedestrian accident Jan. 9, the Webster-Kirkwood Times has reported. The teen was crossing at a crosswalk outside the public library to meet his ride home, the paper said. One car stopped at the crosswalk and motioned him forward, but another passed the first car on the right and hit the teenager. Authorities told the paper that the teen’s padded bookbag and the tough clipboards inside may have taken some of the force of the impact. Nevertheless, he sustained a broken shoulder, a sprained ankle and some cuts and bruises.
As a Missouri pedestrian accident lawyer, I believe this is a good chance to discuss the importance of yielding at crosswalks. Most drivers realize that they absolutely must stop at crosswalks when pedestrians are crossing, but not all of them realize that it’s also a crime to pass a car that’s stopped at a crosswalk. These laws were likely designed to help pedestrians avoid just this sort of accident, in which the oncoming driver literally can’t see the pedestrian until it’s too late. The penalty is normally just a ticket, but when someone is hurt, the driver may be legally liable for both serious criminal charges and a Missouri pedestrian accident lawsuit.
The article also mentions numerous calls for a stop sign at the intersection, many of which predate this accident. This is a common concern; many people can point to intersections in their own neighborhoods that they wish had stronger traffic signals. It is rare for roadway design to cause or contribute to accidents, but it does happen. And when it does, the local government agencies that design, build and maintain roads may be partly or entirely to blame. As a motor vehicle accident attorney in Missouri and southern Illinois, I handle cases of defective road design as well as cases of vehicle defects and negligent driving.
Lawsuits involving government agencies are generally much more complex than other legal claims. To sue a local, state or federal government agency, you generally have a very short deadline (just sixty days for federal claims) to give the agency advance notice, without which you cannot sue at all. In some cases, you may have to fulfill other requirements before filing. Because this process can be difficult and confusing, experts recommend that you talk with an experienced car wreck lawyer as soon as possible. If you or someone you love has been hurt in a Missouri car wreck, with or without roadway defects, and you’d like to learn more about your legal rights and options, Carey, Danis & Lowe offers free consultations. To set up a meeting today, please contact us online.
