According to WTKR.com, a 25-year-old pedestrian was walking in the middle of the U.S. Highway 17 bypass outside Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC), when he was hit and killed by a NC Highway patrol cruiser. The trooper driving the vehicle struck the man and did not suffer any injuries. Authorities are still investigating the incident while the trooper remains on duty.
Though it’s not clear why the man decided to walk down the middle of the highway so early in the morning, it’s easy to imagine him running out of gas and finding himself stranded. We’ve all been there. I can also imagine the pain the family of the pedestrian must be going through after this tragedy. So often, we travel on roads that are virtually empty, especially late at night. We forget the danger potentially lurking around every corner.
At the end of the day, of course, highways are simply not meant for pedestrian use. Nearly all states outlaw pedestrian access to the interstate highways., yet each year, nearly 100,000 pedestrians are injured and 5,00 are killed in vehicle related accidents. A pedestrian accident on the highway can present a complex legal situation. Unsurprisingly, more than 90 percent of pedestrian-vehicle accidents occur at night. Most commonly, pedestrian accidents occur when a driver exits his/her vehicle to inspect a broken down car. Naturally, due to the high speeds associated with highways, injuries are likely to be much more severe. It’s not surprising that many accidents involving pedestrians on highways involve fatalities.
CD