Florida Sees Disproportionately High Number Of Pedestrian Fatalities

On an average day, one will see a fair amount of pedestrians on the roads of a town or city. While the definition of ‘pedestrian’ differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, any road user not in a vehicle or on a motorcycle may qualify in Florida. These people have the right to use the roads in the same manner as drivers do, but it is far too often that pedestrians wind up injured or killed in Florida road accidents.

Pedestrians Have No Protection

Statistics from the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles show that in 2023 (the most recent available data), roughly 780 pedestrians were killed in road accidents. This may not sound like much, but it makes up around 23 percent of all road fatalities in Florida that year – and around 10 percent of all pedestrian fatalities in the United States in 2023.

If you have lost a loved one in this type of accident, it may feel overwhelming to think about whether or not negligence played a role. However, if you have evidence that it did, your family has the right to try and hold the negligent actor liable. Florida’s wrongful death statute allows the executor of the decedent’s estate to bring suit on behalf of the surviving family (usually, a surviving spouse, children, or parents) for several different types of damages.

Why Do These Things Happen? 

There are many different reasons why the rate is so high, though some factors may factor in more in other jurisdictions. The most frequently mentioned one has to do with simple physics: Pedestrians, unfortunately, have very little protection from harm when compared to the driver or passenger in a car. Where a passenger may have metal and glass between them and an impact, a pedestrian has almost nothing to mitigate an injury.

Negligence can take many different forms, from driving while fatigued or under the influence to failing to obey the rules of the road (for example, not stopping at red lights). In Florida, one may also see more elderly drivers than usual, given that the state has the highest number of residents over age 65 in the United States – roughly 22 percent. Regardless, if someone’s actions led to harm, they deserve to be held accountable.

Contact An Orlando Pedestrian Accident Attorney

If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident or have lost a loved one on a Florida road, an Orlando pedestrian accident attorney can help. The Hornsby Law Group has handled this type of accident case before, and will work hard to get you the fairest possible outcome for yours. Call our office today at (407) 499-8887 to schedule a consultation.

Source:

flhsmv.gov/pdf/opengov/by-the-numbers_feb-24.pdf