Las Vegas Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
From 2010 through 2019, Nevada was ranked as the 11th most dangerous state for pedestrians by Smart Growth America. During that same period, Nevada was also consistently placed in the top ten most dangerous states for pedestrians by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ranking fifth in many years and as high as fourth. When a pedestrian gets hit by a car, even in slow-moving traffic, the results are likely to be catastrophic to the pedestrian, if not fatal. Broken bones, head injuries and internal injuries are not uncommon outcomes. Pedestrian accident victims and their families need to be able to hold negligent drivers accountable for the damage they have caused. Cameron Law can help. Our whole focus is on client care and helping people get meaningful compensation when they’ve been hurt by the negligence of another. If you’ve been struck by a car on the Las Vegas Strip, Boulder Highway, or throughout North Las Vegas, Henderson, Paradise and Spring Valley, call our experienced Las Vegas pedestrian accident lawyer for a free consultation.
Nevada Pedestrian Traffic Safety Laws
Pedestrians have the right-of-way in marked crosswalks, and drivers are legally obligated to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Drivers should also yield to blind people using white-tipped canes or service animals anywhere on the road. When a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, drivers must stop and stay stopped until the pedestrian is safely past. If the pedestrian is entering the crosswalk from the street on the driver’s side of the road, the driver should wait until the pedestrian has crossed over to the opposite side of the roadway. If the pedestrian is approaching from the opposite side of the road and is so close to the driver’s side that moving forward would be dangerous to the pedestrian, the driver must stop and stay stopped until the pedestrian is safely across the street. Failing to do so is illegal and strong evidence of the driver’s fault for any accident that happens in the crosswalk. Most pedestrian accidents happen in crosswalks where the pedestrian had the right-of-way.
If a vehicle is stopped in a travel lane, the odds are the driver has stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the street. A vehicle that tries to pass the stopped car is likely to hit the pedestrian. Drivers who are approaching a stopped car in the travel lane should therefore stop or slow down and ensure there isn’t a pedestrian crossing the road before attempting to pass the stopped vehicle.
Pedestrian Fault and Comparative Negligence
Not every pedestrian accident is the fault of a negligent driver. Pedestrians can behave negligently or recklessly too, and they can wind up being partly or wholly to blame for getting hit. Pedestrians are required by Nevada law to use sidewalks whenever they are provided. If there is no sidewalk, pedestrians must walk against traffic on the shoulder or as near to the curb as possible. Failing to do so can put the pedestrian at risk of getting hit and being blamed for it. Other times pedestrians can be held at fault for causing an accident include:
- Crossing the street diagonally except where allowed by a designated crosswalk
- Jaywalking. It is not illegal to cross in the middle of the street, but vehicles have the right-of-way here, and the responsibility to cross the street safely outside of a crosswalk lies with the pedestrian.
- Darting out into traffic
- Walking while intoxicated
- Walking while distracted, such as texting and looking at the phone instead of traffic
Sometimes both the pedestrian and the driver will be considered partly at fault for causing the accident. As long as the pedestrian is not considered more to blame than the driver, the pedestrian can still recover damages from the driver according to the percentage of fault attributed to the driver. Our job at Cameron Law is to prove the full extent of the driver’s fault and the damage they caused while defending our clients from unfair allegations that they were partly to blame when they weren’t. If you’ve been hurt by the negligence of another, we want to maximize the compensation you can receive to deal with your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and the other ways this accident has harmed you.
Contact Cameron Law Today
If you’ve been hurt in a pedestrian accident in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Paradise, or Spring Valley, Cameron Law is the law firm you need to take care of you and help you get financial support and compensation for your injuries. Contact our experienced Las Vegas pedestrian accident lawyer today.
