Many doctors and fitness experts proclaim the virtues of walking in order to incorporate physical activity into one’s lifestyle. However, if someone is walking near the roadway, their safety could be in danger with regard to drivers, especially drivers who are not as vigilant as they should be. Unfortunately, a car accident involving a pedestrian frequently results in serious injury or death. Although some criminal charges have already been filed against a driver in an accident in Connecticut, police are still trying to determine what exactly happened.

In the early morning hours of a late January day, a 55-year-old woman was walking by a Connecticut road. Police say that the woman was struck by a vehicle driven by a 30-year-old woman. The pedestrian was airlifted to the hospital for treatment with what reports describe as serious injuries.

Police are asking that anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact them with any relevant information. An investigation is ongoing. In the meantime, the driver of the vehicle already faces criminal charges. Police have charged her with driving without a license and evading responsibility.

A serious injury can have long-term consequences. Medical bills for initial treatment are often astronomical, and some injuries require years of treatment. In some instances, a person who is struck by a vehicle finds that they will never fully recover, leaving them unable to work and suffering a lifetime of pain while creating financial instability for the victim and the victim’s family. As a result, car accident victims have the option of filing a personal injury case in a Connecticut civil court, and in the case of a fatal accident, the surviving family members may do so. If a plaintiff can provide sufficient evidence to establish negligence on the part of a driver, the court could order a monetary award to be paid for financial damages incurred as a result of the accident.

Source: The Courant, Pedestrian Hit By Car, Seriously Injured In Putnam, Daniela Altimari, Jan. 26, 2014