A dump truck struck and killed a pedestrian in a crosswalk in the Hermosa neighborhood on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
Dump Truck Reportedly Disregarded Stop Sign
On October 14, 2019, at about 12:30 p.m., an unidentified 32-year-old male pedestrian was walking on Dickens Avenue, proceeding through its intersection with Pulaski Road from within a crosswalk. At that time, a dump truck was traveling southbound on Pulaski Road, approaching the same intersection. The dump truck then allegedly disregarded the stop sign and struck the pedestrian.
The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, though the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the details of the death yet. The Chicago Police Department’s Major Accidents Unit is investigating the cause of the traffic accident.
Police cited the driver of the dump truck for failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, and failure to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk.
Pedestrians Especially Vulnerable in Traffic Accidents
Every year, thousands of pedestrians are seriously hurt or even killed in car accidents in the United States. In 2016 alone, 5,987 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in America – an average of one crash-related death of a pedestrian every 90 minutes. While pedestrian deaths only accounted for 16 percent of total traffic fatalities that year, the likelihood of a pedestrian getting killed or seriously hurt in any given car accident can be far greater than with non-pedestrians. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to be killed in a crash.
Even at low speeds, the impact of thousands of pounds of metal against an exposed human body can result in devastating injuries, while higher vehicle speeds may increase both the likelihood of a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle and the severity of any injuries that may result. Though all pedestrians are at risk for traffic-related injuries, the CDC reports that older people and young children are particularly vulnerable. Pedestrians who were 65 and older made up twenty percent of all pedestrian deaths in 2016, while one in five people under the age of 15 who were killed in car accidents that year were pedestrians.
At GWC, We Fight for the Pedestrian
If you are a pedestrian who has been hit by a motor vehicle, your life can change in an instant. The medical bills could soon mount to astronomical levels, all while your injuries may prevent you from working. Because of one driver’s carelessness, you and your loved ones can find yourselves on the brink of financial ruin.
Fortunately, there may be hope. If you are the innocent victim of another person’s negligence, you might be eligible to obtain financial compensation. To help maximize the value of any settlement or judgment, you should consider seeking out experienced legal assistance from the Chicago car accident attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers.
With over $2 billion recovered for our clients during our more than four decades in practice, GWC is one of the leading Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firms in Illinois. We have the proven record of success you need to get you and your family the justice you deserve.
If you have been wrongfully injured because of somebody else’s negligent actions, please contact GWC today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation with an attorney. Call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.
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