Many roads and streets in Hillsborough are marked with crosswalks. A crosswalk is a portion of a roadway where a pedestrian may legally cross. Often, crosswalks are marked by parallel lines in which pedestrians may walk from one side of a street to the other, and often crosswalks are located at or near intersections.
In some situations, crosswalks may be controlled by signals. Just as roads have stop and go lights, a crosswalk may have a stop and go signal. Pedestrians generally must obey these signals in order to abide by the law, but if a pedestrian is struck in a crosswalk while following a go signal, then the driver of the involved vehicle may be liable for damages suffered by the pedestrian.
Drivers must stop or yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and to those who are so close to entering crosswalks that they are nearly in them. Drivers who drive with distractions or while under the influence of alcohol can put pedestrians in harm’s way when they fail to see crosswalks. The harm that they inflict on their victims can be extensive and affect a victim physically, emotionally, and financially. Fortunately, compensation may be recoverable for these harms.
Drivers may not overtake other vehicles that are stopped for individuals in crosswalks, and drivers who fail to abide by crosswalk laws may receive traffic violations for their actions. A driver’s ticketing or arrest for a traffic infraction does not preclude an auto-pedestrian victim who was struck in a crosswalk from suing for their damages. As with all posts on this blog, readers are reminded that the information contained herein is not legal advice and all questions about pedestrian accidents should be directed to personal injury attorneys.
