A while back I was almost struck by a vehicle one morning during a jog. The driver of the vehicle simply sped through a four way stop sign and was not paying attention. The most scary part of the episode was that I was pushing my young child in an exercise stroller at the time. The Nevada Department of Public Safety announced this year that efforts made by that agency and others contributed to a drop in the total number of fatalities on Nevada roads in 2017.
Unfortunately, the drop was not universal among all kinds of accidents.. The number of pedestrian accidents continued to rise in Nevada, especially in Las Vegas. Indeed, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported a rise in pedestrian accidents last year. While the total number of traffic fatalities dropped from 329 to 305, pedestrian fatalities increased from 80 to 100 fatalities statewide between 2016 and 2017. Clark County was a major contributor to this increase. In 2017, pedestrian fatalities in Clark County (where Las Vegas is located) increased by 37 percent.
In fact, 78 of the pedestrian deaths last year came just from Clark County. The Las Vegas Police Department directly investigated 65 of those deaths. As another news report from KTNV 13 Action News noted this past August, Clark County has already recorded 37 pedestrian fatalities so far this year.
The number of pedestrian fatalities stands in stark contrast to the general traffic trends. Another interesting part about pedestrian accidents is that they often involve local police as well. Police are not immune from traffic laws and are also subject to remunerating individuals for injuries sustained as a result of their negligence.
If you have been the victim of a pedestrian accident in Nevada, contact Steve Dixon Law today to learn more about all your legal options. As one of Nevada’s top personal injury law firms, we’ll fight to hold negligent drivers accountable for their actions – especially if you are a pedestrian.