Runaway Motorist Hits And Kills Tampa Pedestrian

Few details were available about a wreck which killed a man who was apparently walking in the road.

The crash, which took place near the intersection of Hillsborough Road and Harney Road, happened shortly before dawn. According to law enforcement, the victim was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, where he later died.

Pedestrian Injuries and Speed

Overall, speed multiplies the force in a collision between two objects. The collision between a motor vehicle and a pedestrian is a good illustration of this principle. If the tortfeasor (negligent driver) is travelling slower than 20mph, the pedestrian death rate is only about 10 percent. The fatality proportion skyrockets to over 90 percent at impact speeds above 50mph.

Even if the pedestrian survives a high- or moderate-speed collision, these victims usually sustain permanent injuries. Head injuries are a good example. Once brain cells die, they never regenerate. A combination of surgery and physical therapy can ease the symptoms but never heal the injury.

Medical professionals with specific skill sets are an important part of the recovery process. Brain surgery sounds very delicate, and it is very delicate. This necessary procedure reduces brain swelling and prevents the injury from getting worse. Brain injury physical therapists are a special breed as well. These professionals slowly and tediously train uninjured areas of the brain to take over any lost functions.

The medical bills alone in a case like this often exceed $100,000. A Tampa personal injury attorney can connect victims with doctors who charge nothing upfront for their services.

Evidence in Negligence Claims

All injury claims rely on solid evidence. Victim/plaintiffs must prove negligence, or a lack of care, by a preponderance of the proof, or more likely than not.

The police accident report is usually a key bit of evidence in these claims. Officers examine the evidence available at the scene, interview the principal parties, and draw some conclusions based on these facts.

This report is often incomplete or inaccurate, especially in fatal pedestrian injury claims. Since the victim did not survive, the police report obviously only includes one side of the story. Additionally, in a case like this, emergency responders have other priorities when they arrive. Gathering evidence for a future civil claim is not on their radar.

To fill in the evidentiary gap, attorneys usually partner with private investigators and accident reconstruction specialists.

Private investigators diligently collect evidence which is unavailable to emergency responders. Witness statements are a good example. For various reasons, most bystanders don’t loiter at accident scenes so they can give statements to police officers. Private investigators know how to locate these individuals, and these people are usually willing to share what they know.

Accident reconstruction professionals take tiny bits of evidence and use them to create a compelling picture. These individuals then share their conclusions with jurors.

This combination usually means maximum compensation for victims, even if little evidence is initially available. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

Reach Out to a Tough-Minded Hillsborough County Lawyer

Diligent lawyers build injury claims from the ground up. For a free consultation with an experienced Tampa car accident lawyer, contact Mark H. Wright, PLLC. You have a limited amount of time to act.

Resource:

wfla.com/news/pedestrian-hospitalized-after-crash-on-harney-road-in-tampa/