Many Virginia residents enjoy a morning jog through the streets of the town or city in which they live. Unfortunately, joggers are just as vulnerable as any other pedestrian, particularly when they are forced to cross streets when no sidewalk is available. Drivers owe a duty of care not only to other vehicles on the road but also to pedestrians in order to avoid a serious or deadly pedestrian vs. car accident.
When such an accident occurs, a pedestrian can suffer significant injuries or even death. For instance, a woman out jogging in Ashburn was struck by a vehicle in an intersection recently. The 61-year-old woman driving the vehicle was traveling southbound at the time. She stopped and rendered aid to the jogger.
When emergency responders arrived, they took over the care of the jogger on the scene. They managed to get the woman to a hospital, but she succumbed to the injuries that she suffered in the accident despite the efforts of hospital personnel. It does not appear that the driver was injured.
The Virginia State Police are conducting the investigation of this pedestrian vs. car accident. So far, police eliminated alcohol as a contributing factor. While the family of the victim waits for more information regarding their loved one’s death, they may exercise their right to file a wrongful death claim against the driver of the vehicle that hit her. If the family is able to prove the death was caused by the negligence of the driver, the court may award them damages that could help with the financial burdens that often accompany such tragedies.
Source: wusa9.com, Pedestrian killed in Ashburn crash, No author, March 12, 2014