Pedestrian accidents in Massachusetts

Residents in Massachusetts may benefit from learning more about the traffic facts on fatal pedestrian accidents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the statistics collected by the NHTSA, pedestrians accounted for more than 20 percent of the 349 traffic fatalities that occurred during 2012. That’s 72 pedestrian deaths in the state’s population of over 6.6 million people. The pedestrian fatality rate in the state was 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people.

On average, the U.S. pedestrian fatality rate during 2012 amounted to 1.51 per 100,000 people. The 4,473 pedestrian deaths accounted for more than 14 percent of the total number of traffic facilities during the year. In Boston, the pedestrian fatality rate during 2012 was 0.79 per 100,000 people while the total fatality rate for the city was 3.61. Five pedestrian deaths occurred in Boston during 2012, and there were more than 120 reported in New York City. California, Texas and Florida realized the highest number of pedestrian deaths during the year.

Approximately 19 percent of all U.S. pedestrian deaths during 2012 have been classified as hit-and-runs. The statistics published by the NHTSA indicate that most pedestrians were killed from being struck by the front-end of a passenger vehicle or a light truck. Almost 3,600 of the 4,271 deaths were attributable to either of these types of vehicles. SUVs and pickups accounted for most of the deaths caused by light trucks.

People who suffer an injury or death in a pedestrian accident may be entitled to receive restitution for the resulting damages. Plaintiffs in these types of cases are often awarded compensation to help account for medical costs, loss of income, loss of support or services and other hardships caused by the incident. In order to obtain restitution, plaintiffs’ lawyers may need to prove that the defendant is culpable for driver negligence.

Source: NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis, “Traffic Safety Facts Pedestrians“, October 29, 2014