Hit & Run

Crossing the street may be hazardous to your health. Each year, 77,000 pedestrians are injured and 5,307 are killed in traffic crashes in the United States. On average, a pedestrian is killed in a motor vehicle crash every 99 minutes, and one is injured every 7 minutes.(U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatal Accident Reporting System). In many cases, a person who is hit by a car is entitled to money to pay their medical bills, time missed from work, as well as compensation for their pain and suffering.

The State of Connecticut Statutes give the pedestrian the right of way, as shown by Connecticut State Statute 14-300. (Crosswalks. Pedestrian-control signals. Regulation of pedestrians and motor vehicles at crosswalks).

(a) The traffic authority shall have power to designate, by appropriate devices or markers or by lines upon the surface of the highway, such crosswalks and intersections as, in its opinion, constitute an especial danger to pedestrians crossing the highway including, but not limited to, specially marked crosswalks in the vicinity of schools, which crosswalks shall have distinctive markings, in accordance with the regulations of the State Traffic Commission, to denote use of such crosswalks by school children; and may maintain suitable signs located at intervals along highways, particularly where there are no sidewalks, directing pedestrians to walk facing vehicular traffic.

(b) At any intersection where special pedestrian-control signals bearing the words "Walk" or "Don't Walk" are placed, pedestrians may cross the highway only as indicated by the signal. At any intersection where traffic is controlled by other traffic control signals or by police officers, pedestrians shall not cross the highway against a red or "Stop" signal and shall not cross at any place not a marked or unmarked crosswalk. A pedestrian started or starting across the highway on a "Walk" signal or on any such crosswalk on a green or "Go" signal shall have the right of way over all vehicles, including those making turns, until such pedestrian has reached the opposite curb or safety zone.

(c) Except as provided in subsection (c) of section 14-300c (Pedestrian use of roads and sidewalks. Required to yield to emergency vehicle), at any crosswalk marked as provided in subsection (a) of section 14-300 or any unmarked crosswalk, provided such crosswalks are not controlled by police officers or traffic control signals, each operator of a vehicle shall grant the right-of-way, and slow or stop such vehicle if necessary to so grant the right-of-way, to any pedestrian crossing the roadway within such crosswalk, provided such pedestrian steps to the curb at the entrance to a crosswalk or is within that half of the roadway upon which such operator of a vehicle is traveling or such pedestrian steps to the curb at the entrance to a crosswalk or is crossing the roadway within such crosswalk from that half of the roadway upon which such operator is not traveling. No operator of a vehicle approaching from the rear shall overtake and pass any vehicle the operator of which has stopped at any crosswalk marked as provided in subsection (a) of this section or any unmarked crosswalk to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway. The operator of any vehicle crossing a sidewalk shall yield the right-of-way to each pedestrian and all other traffic upon such sidewalk. A violation of this subsection shall be an infraction.(d) In any civil action arising under subsection (c) of this section or sections 14-300b (Pedestrian use of crosswalks and roadways) to 14-300d(Operator of a vehicle required to exercise due caution to avoid pedestrian), inclusive, the doctrine of negligence per se shall not apply.

 

 

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