It was nearly 10 p.m. and dark on the evening that a 55-year-old woman was walking in northern Minneapolis recently. As she was crossing the street, she was hit by a car and seriously hurt. The 18-year-old driver and other witnesses to the accident stopped to help the woman, but she tragically died from the severe injuries she had suffered in the accident.
Reports on this tragic accident do not include many details regarding what factors may have contributed to the accident, as it is still being investigated by authorities. But this type of accident is sadly not uncommon. Pedestrians all over Minnesota are at risk of being hit and killed by a car, and the aftermath of these auto-pedestrian accidents is often devastating.
Especially in the winter, drivers may have no awareness that pedestrians are still out and may forget to keep an eye out for them. Too often, motorists are distracted by their phones, impaired, tired or driving recklessly and fail to take note of the pedestrians around them. But even if a driver is being relatively safe behind the wheel, he or she can still cause an accident if they simply fail to look out for people and give pedestrians the time and space they need to stay safe.
If and when an accident occurs, it is very often the pedestrian, not the motorist, who suffers serious injuries. Getting hit by a car in any situation can result in broken bones, back or neck pain, brain trauma and even death in some cases. Victims of these accidents and the loved ones of those who have been killed in these types of crashes should remember that they may be able to pursue compensation from a driver if he or she was acting negligently behind the wheel. Drivers may not intend to hurt anyone while they are driving, but if their actions contribute to an crash, they can be held accountable for the resulting damage.
Source: CBS Minnesota, “Pedestrian Hit By Car, Killed In Minneapolis,” Dec. 21, 2013