More and more each year, we rely on our cellphones as a primary source of communication, information and entertainment. They are in our faces while we eat, while we relax and even while we speak to others. Keeping cellphone screens in our field of vision can be dangerous, however – especially while we are walking.
Too often, people walk into doors, trip over objects, and even walk into street signs because their field of vision is blocked and their mind is distracted by talking or texting. Walking into a stationary object can cause a variety of injuries, such as bruising, broken bones, and head trauma — and to make matters worse, not all of the objects that pedestrians collide with are stationary; many of them are moving vehicles.
A recent study found a 10 percent jump in the number of pedestrian fatalities from the first six months of 2014 to the first six of 2015. This increase is nearly unprecedented, with 2,368 people killed nationwide in the first half of 2015. While other factors such as an increase in the total amount of miles driven may be contributing to the rise in deaths, there is good reason to believe that some of the additional accidents involved pedestrians looking at their phones instead of the road.
Dangers to Florida pedestrians
Pedestrians are always at risk of danger, whether they are paying attention or not. Often, drivers are the ones distracted by phones, and when drivers don’t have their eyes focused on the road, it can be difficult to stop or swerve quickly enough to avoid hitting a pedestrian. Pedestrians hit by distracted, drunk or careless drivers can experience serious or life-threatening injuries.
If you or a loved one has been involved in any type of auto accident in Florida, the pedestrian accident attorneys at the Bradenton firm of Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh can help you pursue justice.