Pedestrian accidents are an unfortunately common occurrence on the Hawaiian Islands, and just recently, O’ahu suffered its 26th death from such an incident. A 73-year-old man was walking in the vicinity of Liliha Street and Kuakini Street when he was struck by a vehicle. The accident occurred shortly before 8 o’clock in the morning, and the man was rushed to a local hospital with critical injuries from which he later died.
Detailed information about the incident has not yet been released, but readers of this personal injury and wrongful death legal blog may know that there are many causes that may contribute to fatal pedestrian accidents. Many of those causes have to do with driver awareness and the prevention of distracted driving by individuals who get behind the wheels of their cars.
Distracted driving can come in many forms, from using a cell phone while driving to talking to passengers who are riding along in one’s car. Any activity that takes a driver’s attention off of the road can be a distraction and in the moments a driver’s focus is compromised a fatal incident like the one discussed in this story may happen.
More than two dozen pedestrians have lost their lives in collisions with cars on O’ahu just this calendar year. Pedestrian accidents should not happen because when drivers and individuals follow the rules of the road their paths should not cross. However, distractions and other negligence-based occurrences can lead to roadway fatalities, and when they do, victims should be aware of their rights and options for seeking the compensation they both need and deserve.