Pedestrian Deaths and Injuries – Fault, Blame, Negligence and Senseless Waste

Recently in the Toronto area, there have been rash of pedestrian deaths and this has captured some of the media spotlight.

We remind readers that the issue is not that there are approximately 30 pedestrian deaths per year. The issue is that approximately 2,300 people are injured as pedestrians every year in the Toronto area.

2,300 injured pedestrians per year.

What would it cost most drivers to avoid an accident? The inconvenience of slowing down by taking your foot off the accelerator or depressing your brakes? Of traveling the speed limit?

A common perception seems to be pedestrians acting brazenly and walking out without checking to ensure their safety or, in some cases, trying to dart across a busy road at a tremendous risk to their own health.

The occasional silly pedestrian is to be blamed sometimes.

But pedestrians have a self-interest in taking precaution when crossing a road – avoid serious injury, avoid broken bones / fractures / head injury which may require surgery and hospitalization, avoid missing time from work and being unable to work in the future, avoid the threat of losing your job and being unable to pay the bills, avoid depression / chronic pain / medication – it’s pretty easy to see where a pedestrian stands in the equation.

The focus should be on the drivers who text message while driving; who run amber lights or even red lights; who float through stop signs or red lights to turn right; who speed by parked cars without caring whether someone is going to step out; or those who speed and drive as if they own the road – until someone you love has been struck down by a negligent driver, it’s easy to be selfish when you drive.

Drivers need to recognize that they should slow down and treat pedestrians with courtesy and respect.

We applaud all media comment on this issue. Any and all comment on this issue is welcome, to educate drivers and to help lessen or prevent further senseless injury and death. Some background information is available on our pedestrian, bicyclist and motorcycle accidents page.

In particular, we recommend a Toronto Star article written by Chris Hume as a thoughtful comment on these unfortunate deaths.
Gregory Chang
Toronto Insurance Litigation Lawyer