According to reporting from News 4 San Antonio, the city of San Antonio has released an extensive report on the circumstances surrounding pedestrian related injuries. Pedestrians are always at high risk. When an accident occurs involving a pedestrian, it often results in a catastrophic injuries or a fatality. If you have been injured in a car accident while on foot, please contact an experienced San Antonio pedestrian accident attorney for immediate legal assistance.
Pedestrian Accidents: Risk Factors
Over the most recent three year period (2013-2015) the data shows that 1771 pedestrian accidents occurred within San Antonio. These accidents resulted in 140 fatalities. San Antonio city officials have noted that city’s pedestrian accidents generally share many common characteristics. The city released a map that charted all pedestrian fatalities and it is clear that certain stretches of road present a serious problem. Many pedestrian accidents take place on stretches of road with many lanes and few crosswalks. Specific areas that were cited in the report as ‘high risk’ include; stretches of Fredericksburg Road, Culebra Road and Austin Highway. Upwards of seventy percent of all pedestrian fatalities were reported to occur in stretches of road with the following conditions:
- Very limited walking space;
- More than two lanes of traffic;
- Poor lighting conditions; and
- Large gaps between crosswalks.
With pressure from victim’s advocacy groups, officials from the city of San Antonio are proposing solutions. Shirley Gonzalez, a District Four Councilwoman, has close ties with the Vision Zero Initiative, an organization seeking to improve pedestrian safety within the city.
A Possible Solution
The Vision Zero Initiative has the very lofty goal of eliminating all pedestrian fatalities in San Antonio. The organization is seeking a cooperation between road designers, road maintenance crews, city officials, drivers and pedestrians. If each group shares some of the responsibility, Vision Zero believes that pedestrian safety can be dramatically improved. While the Vision Zero’s goal certainly reaches high, the solutions offered by the initiative are highly practical. In the past few years, San Antonio has taken several positive steps, including:
- Tripling the sidewalk budget from $5 million to $15 million;
- Installing several new crosswalks with a more advanced design known as Z-crossings;
- Adding more pedestrian walking space on the side of some roads;
- Adding more street lights are dark stretches of road; and
- Budgeting $3 million dollars specifically for pedestrian safety projects;
The amount of pedestrian fatalities, and serious injuries, is far too high. On average, a pedestrian in San Antonio is killed on a weekly basis. That must change, and hopefully the city can continue to work with partner organization to continue to make pedestrian safety progress.
Need Legal Assistance?
Injured pedestrians deserve full and fair compensation. However, Texas law is not considered to be particularly friendly to pedestrian injury claims. This makes an experienced attorney even more critical. If you have been injured as a pedestrian, or on a bike, in the San Antonio metropolitan area, please contact our office today at (210) 308-8811. Your initial legal consultation is fully confidential and free of charge.
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