WITN News has reported that a man was hit by a truck in Jones County, North Carolina. The pedestrian accident occurred around 9:00 in the morning. The victim was struck in a rural area near the intersections of Highway 58 and Highway 41 just west of the town of Trenton, North Carolina.
According to authorities present at the scene, the victim’s injuries included a broken arm and leg. An EastCare helicopter was called and the man was taken to Carolina East Medical Center in New Bern, North Carolina. The injuries were significant to classify the man as being critically injured from the pedestrian accident.
Any person using North Carolina roads who is not in or upon a vehicle is considered to be a pedestrian. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System Encyclopedia states that about 5,000 pedestrians are killed and another 64,000 are injured in motor vehicle accidents every year. On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident every 110 minutes and injured in a traffic collision every 9 minutes.
Statewide statistics show that in 2006 alone, 173 pedestrians were killed in North Carolina. Pedestrians have little to no protection during an accident, and even a slow-moving car or truck can easily cause injury or death.