Weather, road conditions, traffic, reckless driving — whatever the reason, many pedestrians in Colorado’s neighboring state of Wyoming are injured or killed each year. According to Transportation for America, one of the reasons may be that many Wyoming roadways are “dangerous by design.” The term dangerous by design typically refers to arterial roads in suburban and even urban areas that were not designed to accommodate foot traffic safely.
Wyoming has its share of poorly designed roads, resulting in more than 50 deaths over a nine-year period. This figure might not sound very dramatic, but keep in mind that a disproportionate number of these fatalities were children and the elderly. The Transportation for America report on Wyoming indicates the following counties had the greatest number of pedestrian fatalities for the nine-year period:
— Fremont County with 14 deaths– Natrona County with seven deaths– Campbell County with six deaths– Laramie County with five deaths
Here are a few statistical facts about fatal pedestrian accidents that occurred during 2000 through 2009:
— Almost 60 percent of Wyoming’s pedestrian fatalities occurred on roadways where the speed limit was 40 mph or higher– The majority of the roads on which fatal pedestrian accidents occurred are eligible for federal funding to use in road improvement or construction– More than 40 percent of the nation’s total pedestrian accidents occurred on roads without sidewalks or crosswalks– In Wyoming older people die in pedestrian accidents at a rate of 1.2 out of 100,000 residents
If you live in Wyoming and have lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident, the attorneys of the Mahoney Law Firm can help you sort through the aftermath and find the justice you need to heal.
Source: SmartgrowthAmerica.org, “Dangerous by Design — Wyoming,” accessed July 10, 2015