With the sunny, warm weather comes more pedestrians enjoying a walk on the Vegas strip and other parts of Las Vegas. This means the chances of a hit and run accident increase. Therefore, whenever you step off a curb, be wary of careless drivers who may not be paying attention. They may be distracted if they are
- talking on a cell phone
- texting
- focusing too heavily on vehicles and not enough on pedestrians
- trying to beat a traffic light
If you are inside a crosswalk on a roadway, you will always receive the right-of-way from traffic (unless you are crossing against a traffic light). Vehicles must slow down or stop to allow you to finish crossing the road. The same rules apply if you are crossing a street at an intersection which is not marked with crosswalk lines on the pavement.
You are supposed to give the right-of-way to vehicles if you are crossing a road at a point which is (a) not marked by a crosswalk, and (b) not located at an intersection of streets. You are also not supposed to step into a crosswalk at a point in time when it’s impossible for an oncoming vehicle to avoid hitting you.
No matter what happens, if you a pedestrian who has been struck by a vehicle, the driver must provide some type of assistant to ensure you are okay and surrender his or her personal information to the police at the scene of the accident. If they flee the scene, this becomes a hit and run accident which means they can be charged with a felony and sentenced to between 2 and 15 years in prison.
If you have been the victim of a hit and run accident, you are probably eligible receive compensation for your injuries. Consult a qualified auto accident lawyer to see about filing a personal injury lawsuit against the offending driver.