Burlington County Receives Funding for Pedestrian Accident Prevention Programs
In a response to the 11 deaths that occurred in pedestrian accidents in Burlington County this year, the New Jersey Department of Transportation has doled out grants worth $138,000 to the towns of Florence and Riverton to be spent on enhancing pedestrian safety.
Florence is expected to receive $115,000 to be spent on sidewalk construction, while Riverton will use its $23,000 grant to develop and implement a pedestrian safety program. Riverton's grant has come courtesy the Safe Routes to School program that aims to promote pedestrian safety by developing walkways and bikeways so children are encouraged to bike or walk to school in complete safety, as well as the conduction of pedestrian safety awareness programs for children and motorists. The focus on pedestrian safety in Burlington County is due to the 11 deaths that occurred in pedestrian accidents in 2007 last year which was a steep rise from the 6 pedestrian deaths that had occurred in the county in 2006.
Pedestrian accidents are often the result of motorists' negligence. They occur when a motorist fails to give right of way to pedestrians, runs red lights, drives recklessly or speeds. Negligent driving can include making wrong turns, or failing to signal. Sometimes, aggressive driving or road rage can leave innocent pedestrians unwitting victims. Besides motorist fault, the design and maintenance of the roads can catch unwitting pedestrian unawares. Many pedestrian accidents occur as a result of poorly designed and maintained intersections that increases the likelihood of a crash. Improper traffic signs and controls, and the lack of properly defined and adequate sidewalks can also cause accidents that leave pedestrians with severe injuries. In an overwhelming majority of pedestrian accidents involving fatalities, it's the pedestrian who sustains fatal injures, often thrown off tens of feet into the air to be tossed down onto the ground with bone shattering impact. Injuries in a pedestrian accident are almost always serious in nature, and include head injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
In the event of an accident, it's important to contact a New Jersey pedestrian accident attorney as quickly as possible, so independent investigations into the cause of the accident can begin immediately. Your lawyer will have to find witnesses who can help prove your account of the accident, and there will have to be studies made of the accident area to check if the design promoted pedestrian safety, if there had been previous accidents in the area etc. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident, contact a New Jersey pedestrian accident lawyer at the Law offices of Scott Grossman for a free initial evaluation of your case.
