Pedestrian Struck on I-55 in St. Louis

Pedestrian Struck on NB I-55

Pay Attention to Pedestrian Struck on NB I-55

According to reports, a pedestrian was struck on northbound Interstate 55 around 6:30 a.m. today as he was putting gas into his vehicle. While no other information was immediately available, we assume the man was refueling his vehicle perhaps after it ran out of gas on the roadway. Too many of these type of serious injury and fatal crashes occur every year on our interstates. We do not know the specifics of how this tragedy took place including what vehicle struck him and the exact scenario, but these do occur way too often.

If you have had to stand next to an interstate for any reason, you realize the great speed at which vehicles travel. I have been on the side of the interstate with reconstruction experts before and was amazed at how dangerous it is. Furthermore, the most startling thing were how many people that whizzed by us who quite apparently, never actually saw us. And we had multiple vehicles and equipment including hazard lights. Too many people drive down the interstates and roadways and pay no attention to what is happening on the shoulders or medians they pass at 65-90 mph.

According to Law Enforcement, There Are Some Rules

When you see a vehicle on the shoulder, you are supposed to signal and move to the outer lane on a four lane highway. Often, law enforcement will have someone pulled over for various reasons including stalled vehicles and as another driver on the roadway, you have a responsibility for moving over, being considerate and looking out for others safety. Granted, today, we don’t know the specifics of the I-55 fatality but if we look to past scenarios, these tragic fatal deaths can be avoided simply by other drivers paying attention.

If Your Vehicle Becomes Stranded on the Roadway…

You cannot always control the situation if your vehicle becomes stranded on the roadway. I have driven on a flat tire another mile to an exit in order to avoid pulling to the side of the interstate because I know way too many clients who have been forever changed due to a crash that began with pulling over to the side of the roadway or worse, they pulled over to be a good samaritan to help another person with their disabled vehicle, only to be hit by a vehicle. Getting to an exit is not always an option for everyone. There are some important things to do to for your safety and others if you are stranded on the side of the interstate.

Being stranded on the side of the road is dangerous, take some precautions:

1. Call the police. Let emergency officials know immediately that you are stranded on the side of the interstate. They will want to know so that they can get a patrol car there with lights to help avoid other vehicles from hitting you.
2. Missouri Highway Patrol Troopers often advise to get out and away from your vehicle if possible. When your vehicle is on the side of the interstate, there is a decent chance that another car will slam into the rear-end of your vehicle. If you are in it, then you will most likely be injured or killed, so get out of the way.
3. Turn on your flashers and be sure to get the vehicle as far off the roadway as possible. Get out of the vehicle and move toward the median, don’t go to the front of the vehicle, but the median back toward the rear of the vehicle and away. Call roadside service and wait for service and law enforcement.
4. If you don’t call law enforcement for your own safety, call for the safety of other drivers.

Responsibility of All Drivers to Keep a Safe Lookout

It is every driver’s responsibility to keep a lookout for objects or people on the roadway and on the side of the roadway. We have represented many seriously injured victims of roadside crashes and every time, it was avoidable. Each and every one of the stories are horrific involving serious injuries or death. When these kinds of crashes occur, as a victim you have rights.

As an injured person, you have all you can do to recover. As the family of someone killed in one of these horrific crashes, you are simply in shock. Seeking the help of an experienced car crash attorney takes a ton of unwanted responsibility off of your plate. We handle the investigation, seek accident reconstruction experts if needed and handle the insurance companies. The last thing an injured or grieving person should have to cope with is an insurance company.

Call our attorneys today for help.

Call us at (314) 276-1681 for a free consultation.