A pedestrian in England suffered multiple life-threatening injuries after a car accident occurred just a few short feet away from him while he was crossing a bridge. The collision pushed him over the side of the bridge and onto a major highway that ran beneath it, where he was hit, again.
Car Crash Pushes Pedestrian Off Bridge
The accident happened on the morning of September 28, 2016, in England, in the town of Basingstoke, which is a little over fifty miles west of London. A 25-year-old man, who has not been named by authorities was walking on the sidewalk along a residential road just outside of the center of Basingstoke. This road went over a bridge under which ran the A340 highway – a rapidly moving multilane highway similar to an interstate in the U.S. On either side of the bridge were waist-high railings meant to prevent people from easily falling over the edge of the bridge and into traffic below.
While the pedestrian was crossing the bridge, two cars collided with each other right alongside him. One of the vehicles spun out from the collision, hitting the pedestrian and pushing him into the railings on the edge of the bridge. The car’s momentum damaged the railing, and shoved the pedestrian over it into the rushing traffic, below. The contact with the first car, together with the fall from the bridge, caused the pedestrian serious injuries. However, once on the highway below, he was hit yet again by another car, this one driven at a high rate of speed.
The pedestrian was flown to the Southampton General Hospital by helicopter, where he is still alive, but facing multiple life-threatening injuries to his legs and head.
Pedestrian Accidents Often Prove Fatal
Car accidents involving pedestrians are a serious problem, across the country and the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2013, 4,735 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in the United States. At this rate, that means that one pedestrian is killed every two hours on our country’s roads. And this does not include those that are hurt by a vehicle, but survive. This number is significantly higher: More than 150,000 pedestrians were hit by cars in 2013 and treated in emergency rooms throughout the U.S.
The reason for the seriousness of a typical pedestrian’s injuries in a car accident is the lack of protection that pedestrians normally have. While drivers and passengers in cars are protected by the vehicle, itself, pedestrians are completely vulnerable to the harm presented by a car.
Cobb County Personal Injury Attorney Joel Williams
Because pedestrians often suffer terrible injuries if they are involved in a car accident, it becomes even more important for them to have adequate legal representation as they seek the compensation they deserve from the people who put them through such a terrible ordeal.
If you or someone you love has been hurt in a car accident, contact Georgia trial lawyer Joel Williams to help you get back on your feet.
