Lindsay Lohan Arrested for Hit-and-run after Striking Pedestrian

Photo gives credit to Daily Mail.

The Mean Girls star, Lindsay Lohan was reportedly busted again on early morning last Wednesday after being charged with hit-and-run.

According to reports, Lohan was about to park her Porsche Cayenne at the Dream Hotel, a luxury Manhattan hotel, when her car allegedly hit the knee of Manhattan chef Jose Rodriguez. Shortly thereafter, Lohan and her other passengers allegedly stepped out of the car to check for vehicle damage and then proceeded into the hotel to attend an event as if nothing happened.

After the event, when Lindsay came out from the hotel, she was subsequently arrested by the New York police who were called by the victim for assistance.

Meanwhile, although the 34-year-old pedestrian did not sustain severe injury, he was still transported to Bellevue Hospital after complaining of pain. According to the attending physicians who examined Rodriguez, he had torn tendons, and he was given morphine for the pain.

Consequently, the 26-year-old actress was booked for a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of a pedestrian accident. However, she was later released with a desk appearance ticket, which means that she was not required by the police to pay bail. Moreover, Lohan was required to appear in court on October 23.

Furthermore, according to police commissioner Raymond Kelly, no breathalyzer test had been conducted during Lohan’s arrest since law enforcers believed that Lohan was sober.

Unfortunately for Lohan, the said incident could trigger her previous probations once a jury ruled that it was a violation of her probation terms. It is more likely that the young actress would face longer jail time or community service, cited by a Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyer.

It could be remembered that aside from her previous road mishaps, Lohan was also charged with theft just a while ago. Therefore, further engagement in troubles could definitely mean a more serious predicament for her.

Pittsfield Train-Pedestrian Accident Kills Man

A pedestrian accident involving a train in Pittsfield, Massachusetts last Tuesday left a man dead.

According to the initial investigation, the accident occurred at around 7:10 in the evening, February 28, in Downtown Railroad Tracks.

Police said that an unidentified man who was walking through the tracks along Depot Street was struck by a CSX locomotive pulling another train engine. The impact of the collision pinned the man under the first engine train.

Authorities are still conducting an investigation to determine why the fatal train–pedestrian accident happened hundreds of yard behind a restaurant near the area. They are also tracking the point of entry of the victim, since the tracks are enclosed by a chain-link fence except for the un-gated entrance where the construction workers passed by to access the tracks.  It was still unclear whether the man entered onto the rails.

Due to the said accident, the McKay Street to Depot Street extending to the west end of the parking lot along Depot was closed to traffic while authorities are conducting an investigation.

When such train–pedestrian accidents occur, there are federal laws that exist to determine who shall be held liable, and the corresponding settlement arising from the damages that a victim of the accident will be entitled to. Additionally, if evidence reveals that the carrier was at fault, there are also factors to determine the extent of its liability.

In such instances, a lawyer specializing in train–pedestrian accidents and personal injury is the best to rely on, like a Los Angeles injury attorney who is knowledgeable enough of the federal laws concerning the accident and who will pursue the case with highest dedication and competency.

The Joint Responsibility of Pedestrians and Motorists

While pedestrian safety should be a priority for all motorists, the same responsibility and due diligence goes both ways – pedestrians are just as responsible for their safety as motor vehicle drivers.

Pedestrian accidents, while not as high as other traffic accident fatalities such as rollovers, yielded 4,654 pedestrian deaths in 2007 in the United States. Also, there were 70,000 pedestrians injured in traffic crashes in 2007.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 113 minutes and injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes.

Today in San Marcos, a 51-year old pedestrian was struck and killed by a truck driver when he tried to cross at mid-block. Police have preliminarily ruled it as an accident as there is no evidence enough for criminal charges against the driver.

On the other hand, the investigation is still ongoing for the death of 57-year-old female pedestrian who died when she got hit by a car when she was crossing the street in El Cajon despite the efforts of the emergency crew.

The California Highway Patrol are also now considering closing the case of the death of a Sunnyvale teen who died in a hit and run accident. 15-year-old Javier Loyola Leon was run over when he climbed onto the tow bar connecting the front and rear trailers of the gravel truck and he either jumped or fell off the tow bar and into the path of the rear trailer tires.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, pedestrians were more likely than drivers to be judged at fault in pedestrian and motor vehicle collisions. As in the case of the San Marcos and El Cajon pedestrian fatalities, pedestrians were almost always judged culpable in midblock and intersection dash crashes.

This is the kind of pedestrian accident where a pedestrian who appears suddenly in the path of a vehicle. Sometimes, the driver, who has little time or room to react, cannot avoid hitting the pedestrian despite having exercised due care and caution.

The cases where a driver is considered at fault is in other crash types such as when a vehicle is turning or backing up, or when a vehicle leaves the road and strikes a pedestrian.

Pedestrian safety is a joint responsibility between the driver and the pedestrian. Just as drivers should take care and be attentive of people who cross the road, pedestrians should also be responsible for the actions and decisions which could affect their safety.

Bicycle & Pedestrian Accidents on the Rise

The streets of San Francisco have seen the rise in the number of motorcycle and bicycles not only due to continuing rise of fuel prices and worsening economy, but in an effort to lessen the pollution and cleanse the air.

But corollary to that is the rise in pedestrian and bicycle accident which reported to have doubled since the last year. Authorities said that this does not mean that roads have become more dangerous but merely because of the increasing number of bicycles and motorcycle these days.

In 2006, vehicular accident fatalities in the US totaled to 42,642. Out of that number, pedestrian accident kills a staggering number of 4,784 individuals while nearly 70,000 pedestrians are injured.

Statistics show that at least 1 pedestrian gets killed in a traffic accident every 110 minutes, or so.

More and more people use motorcycle and bicycles to reduce the continuing micro economic burden that increasing fuel prices brought to American families.

In the State of California alone, the number of motorcycle licenses has reportedly increased – from 908,000 in 2002, the figure reached a staggering more than a million this year.

But as they say, everything has a price. As mentioned, due to increasing use of motorcycles and bicycles, the accidents in the streets involving them has exponentially increased as well. Cases of pedestrian accidents have noticeably increased too.

Pedestrian accidents are covered by tort laws which make negligent person liable for injury, damage or death of a pedestrian. Compensation may include medical bills, lost wages and property damages, as well as compensation for pain and suffering.