An accident in San Francisco, California has left two people injured — one critically — after a vehicle plowed through two pedestrians last week. The accident occurred at night and the police do not suspect any negligence (such as intoxication or distracted driving) on the part of the driver; however, that may change based on the investigation. What is interesting is that both the pedestrians and the driver claim that they had the right of way before the crash.
The intersection where the crash occurred has stoplights; as such, investigators will look into operation records of the city’s stoplights to find out who truly had the right of way. Once that is determined, fault in the accident can be applied.
Car accident reconstruction analysts will also be used in the accident investigation to find out where the pedestrians were when the accident occurred. This is an important aspect to pedestrian accident investigations because it enables law enforcement to know if the pedestrians were in the crosswalk or not.
In addition, investigators will look at the driver’s state of mind when the crash occurred. Even though initially law enforcement may clear a driver of wrongdoing, it does not mean that the investigation can prove otherwise. If the driver was texting while driving, or was not focused on the road, he or she could be held liable for the accident.
One of the pedestrians suffered “life-threatening” injuries, while her husband — the other pedestrian — suffered non-life threatening injuries. They will have medical bills to pay and they will likely be out of work for a long time. If the driver is at fault in the accident, the pedestrians should consider legal action to help them pay for the pain and suffering they have needlessly suffered.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, “SF car crash badly injures pedestrian,” Will Kane, March 21, 2013
- Please visit our San Francisco pedestrian accident page to learn more.
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