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Pedestrian deaths highest in Kanawha County

Six pedestrians in Kanawha County were killed in 2013, more than in any other county in West Virginia.

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Residents of Charleston and other parts of Kanawha County may be aware that pedestrians face real risks when sharing the roads with passenger or commercial vehicles. However, not all residents may know that Kanawha County was the site of more pedestrian deaths in 2013 than any other county in the state of West Virginia.

According to the records supplied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 29 people lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents in Kanawha County that year. Of those, six people were pedestrians. Cabell County was the location of another five pedestrian deaths. These fatalities represented a large percentage of the county’s total 14 automotive fatalities. Raleigh, Monongalia and Berkeley Counties each saw three pedestrians perish in crashes.

Throughout the state of West Virginia, 28 pedestrians died out of a total 332 deaths in automotive accidents.

Recent stories confirm the realities

WCHSTV.com ran a story that provided details about the death of a 34-year old pedestrian. The man was simply walking along the side of a road when he was hit suddenly by a motor vehicle. The victim was pronounced dead at the accident scene. Another story published by WOWKTV.com tells of a vehicle that hit a pedestrian. In this situation, the victim was crossing a street at the time of the collision. The pedestrian died after being taken to the hospital.

Two small children were hit by a minivan that turned in front of the mother and children who were on foot. MetroNews.com indicates that emergency personnel had to free one of the children from the wreckage before being able to transport them to the hospital. The child victims were two and four years old.

Important information for pedestrians

For pedestrians, preventative measures are certainly important. If an accident can be avoided, that is always the preferred outcome. Wearing clothing that has bright colors or even utilizing special reflective items if dark outside are good ways to increase visibility to people in cars.

When sidewalks are not available and a pedestrian must walk on the side of a road, it is best to walk facing traffic. This helps pedestrians to see vehicles and get out of the way more easily than if the vehicles are behind them.

Sometimes, however, accidents cannot be avoided no matter what smart actions pedestrians take. In these situations, it is vital that accident victims or their surviving loved ones seek help from an attorney.

Keywords: pedestrian, accident, injury