A pedestrian from St. Louis, Missouri suffered personal injury in a Jefferson County Missouri pedestrian accident. The accident occurred at the intersection of Route M and West Outer Road I-55.
20 year old pedestrian Christopher A. Taylor was standing on the northwest court of the intersection just before the accident. Taylor attempted to cross Route M. However, just as Taylor began to cross, a 1996 Chevrolet 3500 pickup truck crashed into Taylor. The pickup truck was driven by Mark S. Johnson, 43, of Herculaneum, Missouri.
A Rock Township ambulance transported Taylor to St. Anthonyas Medical Center for medical treatment. Taylor suffered moderate personal injuries in the accident. The pickup truck driver suffered no reported personal injury in the accident.
Thousands of pedestrians are injured each year in pedestrian accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), roughly 5,000 pedestrians die in car accidents each year. Pedestrians are extremely vulnerable when a car strikes them. Drivers are protected from personal injury by their vehicle, especially newer vehicles which are equipped with extensive safety features. Pedestrians are not protected from injury. When a car strikes a pedestrian, the pedestrianas body endures the full force of the impact.
The accident itself does not account for all of the difficulties that an injured pedestrian faces. Even when a pedestrian is the only injured person in the accident, the driveras defense attorney will argue that the pedestrian was responsible for the accident occurring. The defense attorney may argue that the pedestrian caused the accident by walking outside the crosswalk, jaywalking, or failing to look both ways before crossing. Defense attorneys are encouraged to make those arguments because of Missourias doctrine of comparative negligence.
If the court finds that the pedestrian has liability for a Missouri pedestrian accident, the court will reduce the pedestrianas damage award accordingly. For example, the court will reduce the pedestrianas damages by 40% if the court finds that the pedestrian was 40% at fault for the accident. Injured pedestrians should contact a Missouri pedestrian injury lawyer to learn more about protecting their damages in a lawsuit.