Charlotte Personal Injury And Workers' Compensation Blog

An auto-pedestrian accident happens when a driver in North Carolina strikes a person who is traveling on foot with their vehicle. There are numerous ways that these tragic incidents can happen, with some causes resulting from driver negligence and others from pedestrian inattention. When drivers are inattentive or otherwise distracted while operating their motor vehicles, their risk of colliding with pedestrians increases.

Just as distracted drivers hit other cars, trucks and vans, they may also hit people who are in crosswalks, getting into their street-parked cars or even on sidewalks and out of roadways. Anytime that drivers take their eyes off of the road to look at their smartphone, a passenger or other in-vehicle distraction, they elevate their risk of hitting someone or something else in the road.

There is no question that some Charlotte residents are dependent on their smartphones. Through these small handheld devices individuals can perform a wealth of tasks that once required them to use multiple different pieces of technology. They may make standard phone calls to their friends and family members, but they may also use picture calling for more personal experiences. They can send work emails, schedule meetings, make grocery lists, check traffic, get directions and even look up encyclopedic information all with the touch of a screen or the execution of voice controls.

Although having a smartphone can be incredibly handy for a North Carolina resident, it can also become a big distraction. This is especially true when a person is engaged in an important task like driving. Smartphone distractions are dangerous to motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and others because they take individuals' eyes off of the roads and concentrate their focus on something other than operating their motor vehicles.

Although North Carolina drivers may frequently see large trucks and commercial vehicles on local roads and highways, they may not be familiar with the numerous ways that those massive vehicles may pose dangers to them. Trucking accidents can be very serious for the passengers of the smaller vehicles affected by truck crashes and collisions. There are several ways that truck drivers and operators may be negligent and create dangerous hazards for other motorists.

One of the most problematic issues that may lead to a serious trucking accident is the failure of a truck driver to obtain the requisite education and experience to operate the rig. Truck drivers generally must secure special licenses that teach them about the differences of driving a large truck compared to a smaller personal vehicle. Drivers who do not have this important understanding can make dangerous maneuvers on the roads that put others in harm's way.

Many things can increase the likelihood of motor vehicle accidents. This includes objects ending up on the roads that shouldn’t be there, such as road debris.

A common cause of road debris are improperly secured loads. A lot of different things could lead to a car or truck having an unsecured load. This could include a driver failing to take steps like loading objects onto the car or truck in a proper order, adequately tying down a load and putting a tarp or netting over a load.