Pedestrians are vulnerable whenever they are close to moving vehicles. Even at low speeds, vehicles can cause devastating and deadly injuries. Injured pedestrians are often able to file insurance claims against negligent drivers.
In cases where they sustain severe injuries or where pedestrians die, lawsuits may follow pedestrian collisions. Drivers facing large financial claims because they hit pedestrians may try to avoid liability by blaming the pedestrian. They may claim that the pedestrian did not have the right of way when the crash occurred.
Do vehicles generally need to yield to pedestrians under Nevada traffic statutes?
Pedestrians in crosswalks have the right of way
Provided that they follow traffic signs and lights, pedestrians can confidently cross at crosswalks. So long as they wait for the light to change at a marked location, they have the right of way. Any approaching vehicles should yield to them.
The same is not true for those crossing elsewhere on a road. The law requires that a pedestrian yield the right of way to approaching vehicles if they cross anywhere other than a marked crosswalk. Even when pedestrians do their best to follow traffic laws, unpredictable and aggressive conduct by drivers could result in major pedestrian collisions.
Thankfully, pedestrians can still seek compensation when they are partially at fault for a traffic incident. Under modified comparative fault rules, pedestrians who are 50% or less at fault for a collision can still take legal action against a driver.
Validating who was at fault is a key component of any successful insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. An attorney familiar with Nevada traffic statutes and car crash injury claims can help pedestrians review a police report to understand their options after a crash.
