Walking in parts of New York is just as common as driving a car. With a large number of pedestrians taking to the streets, the risk of being seriously or fatally injured if struck by an automobile is a concern.
Now a new study from New York University Langone Medical Center, has found that there are two preventable causes for child pedestrian injuries. One is a lack of supervision and the other is distracted walking.
The distractions are generally the result of mobile devices, such as cell phones and MP3 players. With the rising number of pedestrian accidents stemming from this, the study authors recommended that pediatricians talk to parents and children about these dangers.
The research was based on 1,400 pedestrian accidents that occurred between December 2008 and June 2011. All patients were treated in the emergency department of Bellevue Hospital Center in New York.
The study didn’t indicate who was at fault for the accidents, but revealed that about one in five patients between the ages of 13 and 17 had been distracted by a mobile device. This included listening to music and texting while walking. In addition, many of the victims did not cross in a crosswalk or they went against the traffic signal.
“We saw that a high number of these patients had crossed in the middle of the block or crossed against the signal, particularly younger children under age 6,” said Nina E. Glass, MD, lead author on the study and a fourth-year general surgery resident at NYU, in a press release. “All of them were supervised by guardians, but still, 44 percent darted into the street.”
Children and teenagers are not the only ones at risk of suffering injuries from distracted walking. Adults 55 and up were more at risk of multiple fractures if struck by an automobile.
Were you or a loved one injured in a pedestrian accident caused by someone else’s negligence? Contact a New York pedestrian accident lawyer from Gacovino, Lake & Associates at 1-800-246-HURT (4878).
