The Peculiar Practice Of Distracted Walking Injuries

A Riverside County accident lawyer explains that one key area of accidents that has seen a meteoric rise of late is distracted walking injuries. With the growing number and prolific use of cell phones and hand held devices, people are simply far too engrossed in the latest app or checking their emails, or indeed texting to be watching where they are going.

We have all seen the comedy routines on the TV where they guy is walking and talking and suddenly walks into a lamp post, or falls down a manhole that has been left uncovered. Pretty funny stuff right? Well believe it or not this type of thing is becoming more of a reality with the onset of newer technology. A recent study that was published by British Medical Journal stated that between the years of 2004 through to 2010, 116 people have been fatally injured in the USA involving pedestrians colliding with vehicles such as cars, and rather more alarmingly trains whilst wearing headphones. The New York Times also reported on this incident and stated that in 2010 alone over 1000 patients paid a visit to the hospital after injuring themselves whilst walking and using their cell phones.

It is fair to say that we are all pretty well aware of the dangers of using a cell phone whilst driving, and in many states this practice is prohibited, yet there is no law to regulate the use of phones whilst walking. So how can team of experienced Riverside accident lawyers help?

It may well be that you are driving a vehicle at the correct speed down a busy road, when out of nowhere steps a pedestrian who is obviously not paying attention to the traffic. An unfortunate collision occurs and the pedestrian is injured. It could well be that you are facing a lawsuit from the pedestrian, or that your insurance company simply don't corroborate your story. In either case it is vital that you call upon the services of a skilled Riverside accident attorney who has a good understanding of the law surrounding distracted walking incidents and as a result, can explain your rights.

It is worth pointing out that out of all the fatalities that have occurred through pedestrians being struck by vehicles or trains, upon further investigation, over two thirds of these sounded a warning. However it was clear that the distracted headphone wearing pedestrian simply didn't hear what was going on.

It is clear that vehicle drivers have enough burdens placed upon them to drive safely and avoid accidents but with people simply stepping out into the road, or jaywalking through distraction, there is little chance for the vehicle driver to avoid such an accident. This was further reiterated with a simple study carried out in 2009 by the Western Washington University. They commissioned a clown to ride across campus on a unicycle whilst wearing a bright yellow and purple costume with polka dot sleeves. He also had bright red shoes and like any typical clown, a huge red nose. Now you would be forgiven for thinking that the said clown wouldn't exactly be inconspicuous. However when they questioned students who were walking around the campus at the time but using their cell phones, only a quarter of them noticed the strange looking character.

While this is an innocent and rather funny story, it has more serious connotations in that if a person who is using a cell phone can't spot a clown riding a unicycle, how are they going to spot an everyday object such as a car coming towards them? This is why if a vehicle driver finds themselves in this awful predicament after having an accident involving a pedestrian then it is important to contact a team of accident attorneys Riverside who can assist.

Both New York and Arkansas considered regulation in the use of hand held devices and headphones whilst walking, though neither bill could be passed. On top of this somebody posted a hoax story on the Internet stating that the Philadelphia police were going to start handing out citations for anybody caught texting whilst walking. People were in uproar and the story was quickly quashed.

Clearly something has to be done to quell the problematic rise in distracted whilst walking injuries, however don't expect bans any time soon. In the meantime an experienced Riverside accident lawyer will have more of their time taken up in dealing with such cases.