As a general rule, the worst collisions involve high speeds. However, collisions in residential neighborhoods and parking lots involving slow-moving vehicles can also cause significant property damage and serious injuries.
Especially in cases where a vehicle strikes a pedestrian, extreme speed is not necessary for significant injuries. Pedestrians can sustain life-altering or deadly injuries even when a driver hits them while backing out of their driveway onto the street.
Pedestrians have no protection
Low-speed crashes involving two vehicles may only produce minor cosmetic damage. To the vehicles involved. However, collisions involving pedestrians are different. There are no protective systems shielding the pedestrian from the force of impact.
At a speed of 23 miles per hour (mph), pedestrians face a 25% chance of severe injury and a 10% chance of death. They are likely to sustain serious injuries that can be expensive, even if they are not severe.
The initial trauma from the vehicle could break bones. Additionally, the pedestrian could get knocked down. Especially in scenarios involving a vehicle with a tall, vertical front end, the pedestrian could get knocked directly backward, resulting in them hitting their head on the pavement.
Blunt-force trauma to the head can cause life-altering traumatic brain injuries or even death. Pedestrians struck by slow-moving vehicles can also sustain fractures and soft tissue injuries. They may require a lengthy leave of absence from work to heal and costly medical interventions. In more serious cases, they may have to stop working completely or change professions.
Those injured in pedestrian collisions may be able to hold a driver at fault accountable. Reviewing insurance coverage and calculating losses with a skilled legal team can help injured pedestrians respond appropriately after a crash caused by unsafe driving habits.