Pedestrian l Crosswalk Collisions & Bicycle Accidents

Davis Law Group has experience dealing with pedestrian collisions, crosswalk accidents, and bicycle accidents.  If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed due to the negligence of a car or truck driver, Christopher Davis has a team of dedicated and experienced attorneys that will fight for the highest possible compensation for you. 

We are dedicated to representing those who have suffered a loss or disability through in a bicycle accident, crosswalk accident, or pedestrian collision.  These cases can be challenging, if not difficult, to pursue.  Almost always the insurance company will allege comparative fault or negligence against the accident victim.  You need an experienced pedestrian accident attorney who can successfully defeat the insurance company's claims of negligence either in court or before a lawsuit is ever necessary.  Often pedestrian and bicycle accidents involve serious, permanent or catastrophic injuries that will need to be adequately proved and successfully negotiated by an experienced personal injury attorney.  The experienced personal injury attorney will usually have the skills to successfully prove the case in court and present the case in a way that will help motivate jurors or the insurance company to award maximum compensation.

If you or a family member has suffered personal injury as the result of a pedestrian or bicycle accident, Seattle Injury Attorney Chris Davis and the Davis Law Group, P.S. can help you. We can help whether you live in Bellevue, Everett, Kirkland, Federal Way, Tacoma, Auburn, Olympia, Burien, Renton, Redmond, Federal Way or the greater Seattle area. Having substantial experience with pedestrian and bicycle accident claims and trying these cases in court, the Davis Law Group has the skill and expertise necessary to help you.

FREE Case Review
Contact us now for a FREE conversation about your bicycle, crosswalk, or pedestrian case. There is no obligation to hire a lawyer.  We are usually retained on a contingency fee basis. There is no fee until our personal injury attorneys successfully recover fair compensation for you.

Recognized For Pedestrian Collision & Bicycle Accident Experience And Innovation In Washington State

Seattle attorney Chris Davis has been recognized by his peers as a very experienced and successful personal injury or accident attorney.  He has been named a "Rising Star Attorney" and a "Super Lawyer" by other experienced lawyers in the field of personal injury law.  Mr. Davis has successfully recovered dozens of settlements and jury verdicts at great odds and by sheer perseverence and work ethic.  Many times Mr. Davis has recovered jury verdicts that are greater than 8 or 10 times the amount of the insurance company's last or "final" offer before trial.  Insurance companies are very aware of Mr. Davis' success in the courtroom, and as a result will usually offer him a premium settlement offer to avoid trial, especially in cases involving pedestrian and bicycle accidents.  You can count on Mr. Davis to recover the highest settlement offer the insurance company is prepared to give before trial.

We Handle Cases All Over Washington State
Although our law firm is based in Seattle, we have successfully handled cases throughout the State of Washington.  We have handled cases from Seattle to Spokane, Vancouver to Bellingham, and everywhere in between, such as: Arlington, Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Edmonds, Everett, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Lacey, Longview, Lynnwood, Marysville, Medina, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Port Orchard, Redmond, Renton, Shelton, Snohomish, Sumner, Tacoma, Tukwila , and Woodinville.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics
There was a loss of 4,881 lives in pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes in 2005, almost thirteen people every day of the year (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts). Though the number of pedestrian fatalities fell from 5,584 in 1995 to 4,881 in 2005, the fatalities in 2005 were the highest since 4,901 fatalities were recorded in 2001. Fortunately, the number of reported injuries involving pedestrians fell from 84,000 in 1995 to 64,000 in 2005. However, only a fraction of pedestrian crashes that cause injury are ever recorded by the police.

• Pedestrian Deaths in 1995: 5,584
• Pedestrian Deaths in 2005: 4,881 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts)
• Reduction in pedestrian deaths between 1995 and 2005: 13 percent
• Pedestrian Injuries in 1995: 86,000
• Pedestrian Injuries in 2005: 64,000 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts)
• Reduction in pedestrian injuries between 1995 and 2005: 26 percent
• According to the National SAFEKIDS Campaign, more than 46,000 children are injured each year in pedestrian accidents
  
• The total cost of pedestrian death and injury among children ages 14 and younger is $5.2 billion per year (Safe Kids Worldwide).

A detailed breakdown of the age, gender, and location of pedestrian crash victims is available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) fact sheets. Some of the more noteworthy trends or numbers are:

• 70 percent of pedestrian killed in 2005 were males.
• Almost three out of every four pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas (74 percent).
• The top four states for pedestrian fatalities are California, Florida, Texas, and New York. These four states make up 42 percent of pedestrian fatalities nationwide while only accounting for 29 percent of the total traffic fatalities across the country.
• Nearly half (48 percent) of pedestrian fatalities occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Pedestrian Collision & Bicycle Accident Resources 

Library for Pedestrian l Crosswalk Collisions & Bicycle Accidents:

• National Pedestrian Crash Report [PDF]   
  Description: The purpose of this technical report is to analyze the latest trends in pedestrian fatalities and police-reported motor vehicle crashes involving a pedestrian in the United States since 1997.
• Traffic Safety Report Bicyclists and Other Cyclists, 2006 [PDF]   
  Description: Bicyclists and other cyclists include riders of two-wheel nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered solely by pedals. Throughout the remainder of this fact sheet the term pedalcyclists will be used to identify these cyclists. The first automobile crash in the United States occurred in New York City in 1896, when a motor vehicle collided with a pedalcycle rider (Famous First Facts, by Joseph Kane). More than 51,000 pedalcyclists have died in traffic crashes in the United States since 1932 — the first year in which estimates of pedalcyclist fatalities were recorded. The 350 pedalcyclists killed in 1932 accounted for 1.3 percent of the 27,979 persons who died in traffic crashes that year.
• Car-pedestrian accidents: When are they a crime?   
  Description: How can it be that a motorist can hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk and not be taken into custody?
• SUV backover deaths: What can be done?   
  Description: More than 2,400 children are backed-up over every year in the United States. Of those, about 100 are killed. In most cases, those children are run over by a parent or other relative.
• ARTICLE: Ways to Improve Settlement in a Pedestrian Accident Claim   
  Description: Pedestrian accidents happen mainly for two reasons. First, the accident may be caused by the pedestrian himself, due to carelessness and lack of safety precaution; second, it can be attributed to motorist’s negligence of road safety, traffic violation, or as a result of a vehicle accident.
• NEWS: Blind Pedestrians Say Quiet Hybrid Cars Pose Safety Threat   
  Description: The National Federation of the Blind, an advocacy group, says all hybrid vehicles should emit a sound while turned on to improve pedestrian safety.
• NEWS: A new Bellevue: Step by step to a pedestrian-friendly downtown   
  Description: From tree-lined sidewalks, midblock crossings and skybridges to circulator buses and pathways between high-rises, the city has begun a transformation it hopes will redefine its auto-oriented image.
• ARTICLE: Seattle's pedestrian attitude toward pedestrians   
  Description: What would a really pedestrian-friendly Seattle look like?
• ARTICLE: Danger in the bike lane   
  Description: The city's new Bicycle Master Plan calls for expanding the bike-lane network, now 31 miles, to 143 miles by 2016, and extending the trail system from 39 miles to 58 miles. To address right-hook crashes, Seattle this spring will attempt to make bike lanes at a few busy intersections more noticeable by painting them green, a strategy already tried by other cities.
• STUDY: Traffic Accidents Involving Child Pedestrians: A program for their prevention   
  Description: The two papers that follow report the results of painstaking epidemiological work on pedestrian accidents involving children. Because these papers relate the age of the child to specific behavior patterns that result in accidents and to specific injury patterns that result from such accidents, they would appear to offer a sound empirical base for the development of a variety of countermeasures, whether such countermeasures are intended to reduce accidents or to limit the severity of the resulting injuries.
• ARTICLE: Pedestrian accidents on rise   
  Description: Pedestrians have been struck by motorists one-third more often in the first six months of this year than in the same period last year.
• ARTICLE: Pedestrian accidents in marked and unmarked crosswalks   
  Description: THE MAIN GOAL OF THE STUDY DISCUSSED BT THE AUTHORS WAS TO CONDUCT A QUANTITATIVE EXAMINATION OF A RANDOM GROUP OF PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS AT UNPROTECTED CROSSWALKS IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES AND TO DETERMINE THE VALIDITY OF THE CURRENT CITY PRACTICES.
• ARTICLE: The Unseen Dangers, Bicycle Riders Face   
  Description: Bicycle accidents not only happen to the untrained or beginner bicycle rider, the Unseen dangers, bicycle riders face can happen on any road. Even the most experienced professional can find themselves faced with having a bicycle accident.
• NEWS: Woman had been drinking   
  Description: A Deming woman who was hit by a car while she was lying on Sumas-Kendall Road last week had been drinking, Whatcom County Medical Examiner Gary Goldfogel said. Goldfogel said that while an investigation into the accident is ongoing, alcohol is considered a contributory factor to Jacqueline Julius' lying in the roadway.
• NEWS: 10-Year-Old Bicyclist Hit By Car in Shelton   
  Description: A 10-year-old boy riding his bike along East Boardwalk Road in Shelton was hit by a car.
• NEWS: Pedestrian hospitalized in downtown accident   
  Description: The 67-year-old pedestrian was taken to Harborview Medical Center after being struck at the intersection of South Main Street and Sixth Avenue South.
• ARTICLE: Rabbi on trial in Seattle crosswalk fatality   
  Description: An assault trial is under way in Seattle Municipal Court for a rabbi accused of fatally running down a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
• ARTICLE: Pedestrian hit, killed by car in Central District   
  Description: A woman in her 20s died Friday night after a vehicle hit her as she was crossing the street in the Central District.
• ARTICLE: Sidewalks? They're your problem.   
  Description: In Seattle, that will change this month when homeowners with a sidewalk damaged enough to be a tripping hazard find an informational flier attached to their door telling them it's their responsibility — not the city's — to repair it.
• ARTICLE: Teachers Aide Killed In Seattle Crosswalk   
  Description: DANGEROUS CROSSWALK. Agnes Meserole was hit by a car while crossing Northwest 58th Street at 14th Avenue Northwest on Dec. 13. She died two days later.
• NEWS: Cover-up alleged in hit-and-run   
  Description: Investigators believe the driver suspected in a November hit-and-run that injured two people crossing a downtown Tacoma street went to great lengths to hide the crime, court records say.
• NEWS: Family sues driver, firm in cyclist death   
  Description: The family of a bicyclist who was struck and killed by a dump truck on Seattle's Eastlake Avenue East in September has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the truck driver and the Woodinville-based construction company that employed him.
• NEWS: Boy Injured In Crosswalk Accident Makes Public Appearance   
  Description: The car accident happened in February when Messenger was crossing 15th Avenue at 87th Street. The area used to be marked as a crosswalk but the city recently took the crosswalk signs down. Several cars stopped to let Messenger cross, but one driver sped around the other cars and hit him.
• NEWS: At least three people hit in Seattle crosswalks this week   
  Description: Two cars hit pedestrians in Seattle on Wednesday morning in separate accidents that caused a serious head injury to a 57-year-old woman but minor injuries to an 11-year-old boy.
• NEWS: Crown Hill crosswalk closed, tragedy hits   
  Description: Removing the crosswalks would actually make the streets safer for pedestrians. The traffic is too busy and the cars are moving too fast on those streets for people to cross safely, officials say.
• ARTICLE: School Bus Accidents Can Be Prevented by Safety Training and Parking Lot Design   
  Description: In 2002, 26 children were killed as pedestrians getting on or off a school bus, or while waiting at the school bus stop. Other motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus remain a problem in every community and the school bus industry urges stricter police and judicial enforcement against violators.
• NEWS: Cyclists, skinny tires, streetcar rails — not a good mix   
  Description: New streetcar tracks on Seattle's Westlake Avenue have turned into a trap for bicyclists.
• ARTICLE: Biking on the freeway   
  Description: Cyclists on the freeway? Is that allowed?
• NEWS: Woman struck, dies crossing seven lanes of Highway 99 traffic in Everett   
  Description: 54-year-old Everett woman died after she was struck by a car while crossing Highway 99 in Everett. The woman was crossing seven lanes of traffic, not in a crosswalk, when she was struck by a driver in a pickup.
• NEWS: Bicyclists honor a fallen fri   
  Description: About 70 cyclists pedaled through Seattle on Saturday — sometimes stretching an entire block and blocking traffic — in memory of Bryce Lewis, a 19-year-old who was struck and killed by a dump truck less than two months ago.
• NEWS: Baby OK after car hits stroller in Seattle   
  Description: A baby apparently escaped serious injury today when its baby stroller was struck and pinned under a car in Seattle's Central District.
• NEWS: Bicyclist struck by police car sues city   
  Description: An attorney for a bicyclist struck earlier this year by a Seattle police car has sued the city, saying the Police Department won't release any information it's gathered about the accident.
• NEWS: Seattle pedestrian hurt in crosswalk   
  Description: Seattle pedestrian hurt in crosswalk
  Woman in serious condition; hit-and-run driver stopped
  By KATHY MULADY, P-I REPORTER, November 27, 2007
• ALERT: Winter rain and darkness dangerous for pedestrians   
  Description: King County Public Health Notice
  Winter rain and darkness dangerous for pedestrians
  Tuesday, December 4, 2007
• NEWS: Local King County pedestrian deaths exceed national average   
  Description: Local pedestrian deaths exceed national average
  By Susan Gilmore , Seattle Times, January 20, 2006
  The number of pedestrian fatalities in King County is above the national average, according to a study presented Thursday at a pedestrian-safety summit in SeaTac.
• NEWS: Navigating the mean streets of Seattle can be deadly   
  Description: Navigating the mean streets of Seattle can be deadly
  High rate of pedestrian fatalities in city alarms author of study
  By HECTOR CASTRO AND VANESSA HO, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, December 3, 2004
• NEWS: Need for pedestrian safety cited   
  Description: Need for pedestrian safety cited
  By Brian Alexander, Seattle Times, July 29, 2005
  Study, one of several recent efforts locally to focus on pedestrian safety, calls on local governments to do more to improve safety on local streets and roads.
• ARTICLE: A nightmare November for Seattle pedestrians   
  Description: A nightmare November for Seattle pedestrians....In Tukwila on Saturday, 23-year-old Sheila Marin was struck and killed by a 40-foot Metro bus as she entered a marked crosswalk.
• NEWS: City campaign aims to make walking safer in Seattle   
  Description: Ads, enforcement in Nickels' plan to protect pedestrians.
• NEWS: Safety a driving concern along Burke-Gilman Trail's 'missing link'   
• NEWS: Seattle DOT Plan For Burke-Gilman Trail   
  Description: The Seattle Department of Transportation unveils its design plans for completing the Burke-Gilman Trail's missing link.

Frequent Questions for Pedestrian l Crosswalk Collisions & Bicycle Accidents:

• Is there a helmet law in Seattle?

• Do bicyclists have the right of way at 4-way stops?
  
  Are they required to use hand signals to cross lanes?
  
  Are they allowed to ride two abreast?
  
  Are they required to turn out if they are holding up traffic as required for motor vehicles on some two lane highways?

• Can bicycles ride on the sidewalk?

• It's my understanding that bikers are supposed to (for the main part) remain in the far right hand lane. What are some exeption to this rule? Can they go into the left hand lane when wanting to take a left hand turn?

• I get really upset when I see bicyclists driving and/or weaving between cars stopped on the road due to a red traffic light or a traffic backup. Then, I really cringe when I see bycyclists dart through intersections on a red light, often without stopping first to check for oncoming traffic. This is a common occurance. I see it almost every day. Aren't bicyclists subject to the same rules of the road as the rest of us in our cars?

• Do bicyclists have to follow the same rules of the road as car drivers, e.g., stop at red lights, stop at stop signs, etc.
• Is there a rule for crossing in a crosswalk with a flashing red hand and the seconds ticking down?

Case Results for Pedestrian l Crosswalk Collisions & Bicycle Accidents:

• $420,000 Settlement For 7 yr old Hit on Bicycle - $420,000 Settlement
• $415,000 Settlement for Young Boy Hit by Car While Exiting Bus - $415,000 settlement
• $140,000 Settlement for Campers Run Over by Jeep - $140,000 Settlement

Web Resources for Pedestrian l Crosswalk Collisions & Bicycle Accidents:

• American Council of the Blind - Pedestrian Safety

  Description: ACB is committed to getting our country back on its feet again! Our pedestrian safety subcommittee of our Environmental Access Committee is working on projects that will move the agenda of pedestrian safety to the forefront.

• Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
• Cascade Bicycle Club

  Description: Cascade Bicycle Club, a non-profit organization, is based in Seattle, Washington, and serves 7,400 members and the Puget Sound bicycling community. Our vision is to Create a Better Community through Bicycling. Cascade is operated by a nine-member volunteer Board of Directors, fifteen professional staff, three AmeriCorps interns, and thousands of volunteers.

• Child Pedestrian Safety

  Description: In recent years, the traffic-related pedestrian death rate among children ages 14 and under has declined significantly. In large part, this decline can be attributed to decreased traffic exposure, as children are walking less often.

• City of Seattle Bicycle Program

  Description: SDOT's Bicycle Program has been working steadily toward developing an urban trail system to accommodate bicyclists.

• City of Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan Resolution

  Description: A RESOLUTION relating to improving pedestrian safety in the City of Seattle by developing a Pedestrian Master Plan and implementing a public education and enforcement campaign

• Committee on Automobile and Pedestrian Safety

  Description: National Federation of the Blind's Committee on Automobile and Pedestrian Safety/Quiet Cars

• Federal Highway Administration Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Research Page

  Description: The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Research Web site provides information on issues and research related to improving pedestrian and bicyclist (pedalcyclist) safety.

• FHWA Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Office

  Description: The Bicycle & Pedestrian Program of the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Human and Natural Environment, promotes bicycle and pedestrian transportation accessibility, use, and safety.

• How not to get hit by cars

  Description: An a cyclist suggests ways to avoid getting hit while riding on the road.

• King County's "Walk with care everywhere"
• Managing Pedestrian Safety I: Injury Severity
• National Center for Bicycling & Walking (NCBW)

  Description: The mission of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking (NCBW) is to help create bicycle-friendly and walkable communities across North America by encouraging and supporting the efforts of individuals, organizations, and agencies.

• NHTSA Pedestrian Safety Program

  Description: NHTSA's pedestrian safety programs are directed toward reducing pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

• Northwest Cycling (NW Cycling)
• Northwest Women's Cycling (NWWC )
• Pedestrian InRoads

  Description: The freedom to walk and use our roads without fear or pain of violent, sudden loss from being hit by a car is a basic human right.

• Perils for Pedestrians

  Description: A monthly television series promoting awareness of issues affecting the safety of people who walk.

• Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT) Pedestrian Program

  Description: The Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT) Pedestrian Program seeks to improve pedestrian safety and to encourage more walking by creating an environment where pedestrians can walk safely and comfortably.

• Seattle Pedestrian Safety Committee

  Description: A Special Council Committee on Pedestrian Safety will lead the Council’s 2007 Pedestrian Safety Legislative Initiative.

• Washington Area Bicyclist Association

  Description: The mission of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association is to create a healthy, more livable region by promoting bicycling for fun, fitness, and affordable transportation; advocating for better bicycling conditions and transportation choices for a healthier environment, and educating children, adults, and motorists about safe bicycling.

• Washington State Bicycle Association

  Description: The WSBA is the governing body of bicycle racing in the state of Washington.

• Washington State Cycling Laws

  Description: With more people riding bicycles, following the rules of the road is especially important. A bicycle is a legal road vehicle, just like a car. This means that bicycle riders have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers, even though bicycles are lighter than cars and generally slower.

Davis Law Group
2101 Fourth Avenue
Suite 630
Seattle, WA 98121

Toll Free: (800) 883-0265
Phone: (206) 727-4000