Separate Pedestrian Accidents in Norfolk, VA Leave Two Teens Injured | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Two teen-aged girls went to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital after being hit by cars in separate accidents after school on May 22, 2012.

The first, and more serious, pedestrian accident occurred on Granby Street near Wards Corner in Norfolk, Virginia (VA). The 17-year-old crash victim sustained serious injuries, but it is unknown whether her life was threatened. About an hour later, a Lafayette-Winona Middle School student was hit on Norfolk’s Alsace Avenue.

 


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Police did not tell reporters whether charges would be filed against either at-fault driver. It is possible that both victims were crossing the streets illegally or unsafely — walking outside of crosswalks, entering the roadways without a green light or walk signal, or just not waiting for a large enough gaps between vehicles. While state and Norfolk laws protect pedestrians who stay on sidewalks and on crosswalks, those protections do not always apply when people cross in the middle of the street.

As a Virginia Beach-based personal injury attorney who has helped many people injured in pedestrian accidents recover damages from the drivers who hurt them, however, I know it is more likely that the people behind the wheels of the cars failed to yield right of way to the girls. This would be especially egregious if the Alsace Avenue crash happened in the designated school zone for Lafayette-Winona.

Drivers always need to watch for people on foot. When a car, truck, SUV or van hits a pedestrian, the outcome is never good. 

 

EJL