Being a pedestrian can be hazardous to your health. Every year, nearly 5,000 pedestrians are killed as the result of collisions with motor vehicles. More than 65,000 pedestrians annually are injured as a result of motor vehicles crashing into them. Many of the pedestrians are children, ages 14 and under, with medical costs of over $5 billion per year resulting from their injuries.

When it comes to how pedestrians suffer their injuries, they do so in a variety of ways. Almost a quarter of pedestrians are injured as a result of uneven or cracked sidewalks. Trips and falls account for 17 percent of the injuries. Being hit by cars accounts for 12 percent.

When it comes to pedestrian deaths, 70 percent of pedestrians that are killed are males and their average age is 47. The average age of those injured is 37. More than a third of pedestrians killed had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. In terms of the drivers involved in those fatal crashes, 14 percent had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

Of pedestrian fatalities, it’s also important to note that three-quarters of those deaths occur in urban areas. Just over 25 percent of those deaths take place between the hours of 6p.m. and 9 p.m.

Although fewer bicyclists are killed in comparison to pedestrians — a rate of 726 bicyclists versus 5,000 walkers — the difference in number between those injured is not all that different. To this end, statistics show that more than 50,000 bicyclists are injured every year.

As far as bicyclists are concerned, nearly 30 percent of their injuries result from being hit by a car. The average age of bicyclists killed is 45 with an alarming 88 percent of those of killed being males.

More than 70 percent of those fatalities occur in urban areas. Of those instances, 20 percent take place between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Nearly 20 percent of bicyclists killed had blood alcohol levels above the legal limit and over a third of the drivers involved were legally intoxicated as well.

If you or someone you know was seriously injured or killed as the result of being struck by an automobile while walking as a pedestrian or as a bicyclist, the advice and counsel of an experienced Missouri attorney may provide you insight as to your rights in filing a claim.

Source: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, “Pedestrian and bicycle crash statistics,” accessed Feb. 07, 2017