Six D.C.-Area Pedestrians Killed in February
Mar 26, 2013
Washington, D.C. (Law Firm Newswire) March 25, 2013 – Six pedestrians in the Washington, D.C. area were killed by cars in the month of February.
According to AAA, three pedestrians died in collisions with cars in the District in February. Two of those accidents were hit-and-run. Another three were killed in Montgomery County that month. The number of February pedestrian deaths in Montgomery County was fully half the number of such accidents in all of 2012.
Washington, D.C. personal injury lawyer David Lietz commented, “Although the District area achieved a recent low in pedestrian deaths last year, we clearly still have a lot of work to do.”
In an email to Patch reporters, the director of the traffic division of the Montgomery County Police Department, Captain Thomas Didone, said that pedestrians should wear reflective clothing or other items while walking at night in order to increase their visibility.
Ben Ross with the Greater Washington blog characterized this response as “blaming the victims,” saying that available information indicates all those killed in Montgomery County were following traffic laws when the accidents occurred.
“Of course, pedestrians are responsible for obeying laws and exercising caution when crossing roads,” Lietz added. “But city officials should be sure the lighting, signage and markings at crosswalks are adequate to ensure a reasonable level of pedestrian safety.”
Ross also reported that one Montgomery victim was on a sidewalk when he died, while the other two died crossing between bus stops and apartment complexes where crossings were legal, but crosswalks were unmarked.
The three Montgomery fatalities were: a 54-year-old who was killed when a woman drove onto a sidewalk; a 44-year-old man who was hit after tripping while crossing Route 29; and a 59-year-old man who died crossing Georgia Avenue in Aspen Hill. All three were Silver Spring residents.
The three fatalities in the District were a 94-year-old man who also was crossing Georgia Avenue, a 20-year-old victim of a hit-and-run on M Street, and a man struck while crossing New York Avenue.
“When a loved one is killed in a car accident, survivors want to know whether the negligence of other parties contributed to the death,” Lietz said. “Anyone who feels a family member’s death merits further investigation should consult with an experienced personal injury attorney.”
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