An unknown person has been seriously hurt following a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian on the afternoon of Sept. 13. Colorado authorities responsible for investigating pedestrian accidents are currently looking into the crash. So far no charges have been filed against the driver involved.
The accident report does not contain a great deal of information. It has been confirmed that around 3 p.m., a pedestrian stepped off a north curb but did not safely cross the road. Police believe this played a role in the accident, which involved an unknown driver.
The pedestrian’s injuries were described as serious, and that individual was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The driver did not appear to be injured and remained on the scene to be interviewed by officers who responded to the crash. At the moment, it does not appear the driver will face charges in connection with this case.
However, in pedestrian accidents wherein serious injury is suffered by the individual on foot, a further investigation is always necessary. Colorado law maintains that pedestrians may be able to recover damages even if deemed negligent. However, the negligence of the pedestrian must be less than the negligence of the driver, with the percent of damage awarded reduced concurrent to the victim’s percentage of fault. In this case, if further investigation reveals the driver to have been partially responsible for the accident, the pedestrian may be able to file a personal injury claim in civil court where the relevant evidence can be examined to determine which party bears the majority of the fault.
Source: fox21news.com, “Pedestrian hit by car, suffers serious injury in Colorado Springs“, Alexa Mae Asperin, Sept. 13, 2016