Numerous people in Louisiana and elsewhere own sport utility vehicles. Every year, pedestrians in this state and others lose their lives to drivers behind the wheels of these vehicles. The surviving family members of these victims may be entitled to seek damages for their losses by filing wrongful death claims in civil court.
A recent report put together by both USA Today and the Detroit Free Press claims that SUVs are the reason that pedestrian deaths have increased significantly over the last decade. According to this report, nationwide, pedestrian deaths are up about 46 percent since the year 2009. This is no small problem, and it certainly deserves attention, but are SUVs really the cause of this increase?
There are many reasons why these two investigative news teams believe SUVs are behind the killings of more pedestrians. First, the front-end heights of SUVs cause victims to be struck in their upper bodies, inflicting critical or fatal injuries to major organs. Second, statistics show that SUVs make up 60 percent of new car sales, so there are more of them out on the road. Third, 40 percent of all pedestrian accidents are said to involve SUVs and trucks.
According to the report, Baton Rouge is among the top 10 deadliest cities in the United States for pedestrians. Yearly auto-pedestrian-related fatalities average 28.5 per every 100,000 residents. That is a lot of families who lose loved ones in what are usually highly preventable accidents.
Those in Louisiana who have lost loved ones in pedestrian accidents often suffer emotionally and financially. When negligence is behind these losses, wrongful death claims may be filed against the responsible parties. An experienced attorney can review the facts of one’s case and, if deemed appropriate, help one pursue legal action.