According to a report from 11 Alive, a pedestrian was critically injured in an accident Saturday night on Atlanta’s west side. The accident occurred on Beecher Street, in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood, near Best End Brewing Company. The Atlanta Police Department noted that the driver of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian ran away from the scene, and a red car with front-end damage was seen being loaded onto a tow truck at the scene. The pedestrian was transported to the hospital.
In light of increasing fatalities and serious injuries occurring on Atlanta’s roadways in recent years, particularly those of vulnerable roadway users such as bicyclists and pedestrians, the city council voted unanimously in 2020 to officially adopt Vision Zero as its traffic safety program. Vision Zero is a traffic safety strategy that originated in Sweden in the 1990s and has gained traction in America and other countries across the world ever since. Currently, 40 communities in the U.S. have adopted the initiative, which requires a fundamental shift in how communities approach decisions about safe transportation. As a result of the adoption of Vision Zero, the Atlanta Department of Transportation was created.
Atlanta’s pedestrian fatality rate is three times that of similarly-sized cities such as Seattle, Minneapolis, or Boston. One of the initial focuses of ATLDOT was to conduct a community survey about the sidewalks that are available for pedestrians to use in order to create distance between them and the fast-moving vehicles on roads. The city currently only has sidewalk coverage of about 45 percent of its roadways. The city has estimated that providing sidewalks on all roadways and repairing the sidewalks that already exist but are damaged will cost the city at least $842 million, with higher estimates of more than $1 billion.
In a related incident, a pedestrian was struck and killed on I-17 in Clayton County, underscoring the dangers faced by pedestrians on Georgia’s roadways.
Additionally, distracted driving remains a significant issue, as evidenced by an airline employee being run over by a truck on the tarmac due to a distracted driver.
Furthermore, the risks of impaired driving are highlighted by the case of an Atlanta cop being struck and critically injured by a suspected drunk driver, demonstrating the severe consequences of such reckless behavior.
If you’ve been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of a pedestrian accident in Atlanta or surrounding communities, a seasoned car accident attorney from Cambre & Associates, LLC can help you understand the process you can use to seek compensation for the financial and psychological impacts of your injury or loss. Contact us for a free case evaluation.