A pedestrian accident in Fayetteville claimed the life of a young woman earlier this month. To make the situation even worse, the driver fled the scene.
It is becoming more difficult with each passing day to pick up the paper in the mornings to find yet another article written about an innocent person’s life being taken at the hands of an irresponsible driver who chose to drink and drive. These stories are especially hard to read because these types of accidents are 100% preventable.
The driver, who ran from the scene of the crash, was later found to be intoxicated. The CDC estimates that nearly one-third (29%) of all fatal traffic accidents in the United States involve alcohol. Another 16% of crashes are caused by drivers under the influence of other legal and illegal drugs, including marijuana.
In many cases pedestrians pay the cost for a driver’s poor decision to drink and drive. A DOT study found that alcohol was involved in roughly 48% of fatal pedestrian accidents in the United States. After these terrible Arkansas pedestrian accidents, victims and their family members are left struggling to put their lives back together, looking for ways to support themselves financially while they cope with the physical and emotional pain of recovery.
When a pedestrian is involved in an accident with a vehicle, the injuries are likely to be severe to deadly. Obviously the pedestrian has no protection from the vehicle, which in turn causes extensive injuries to the pedestrian. Oftentimes the driver of the vehicle isn’t hurt from the impact with the pedestrian and will choose to flee the scene if they have consumed drugs or alcohol because they know that they will face jail time. This is when eyewitness testimony becomes especially important. Eyewitnesses are often the key to finding and prosecuting a driver who has been involved in a hit-and-run pedestrian accident. Because the victim is not able to focus on the driver or the vehicle that hit him or her, it is important for anyone who witnesses a pedestrian accident to observe as many details as possible about the driver that hit the pedestrian. Take a picture or get as many details about the vehicle, the license plate, or any other information they feel would be important to relay to the police. It is also important that any witnesses give the police AND the victim’s family their phone number so that they may be contacted at a later time for a statement. Being a good samaritan can make all the difference in the world to someone who has been involved in a tragic situation. When an innocent person’s life is taken by a reckless driver, families want, and deserve, justice.
Get Legal Help Fast
If you’ve been injured by an intoxicated driver, relying on the criminal court system won’t get you all the justice you deserve. In addition to criminal actions that may be filed against a drunk driver, a civil action may also be filed against the drunk driver to compensate the victim or their loved ones for the damages the drunk driver caused by drinking and driving. You need an experienced Arkansas pedestrian accident attorney on your side. Contact experienced personal injury attorney Paul Pfeifer at the Pfeifer Law Firm today for your free consultation. Call us today at 501-374-4440. Weekend and after-hours appointments are available upon request. You don’t owe us anything until we settle your case. Call us now for a free, no-pressure consultation.