Pickup Truck Accident Kills Jacksonville Pedestrian

A pedestrian walking along a south side street in Jacksonville was reportedly killed when he was struck by a pickup truck the morning of September 2. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the man was attempting to cross Atlantic Boulevard close to the intersection of Century 21 Drive when the pickup truck hit him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no early indications as to the cause of the accident and whether the man was in crosswalk when he was hit, but traffic homicide detectives are conducting a thorough investigation.

Determining fault after a pedestrian accident

In most cases, pedestrian accidents are considered to be at least partially (if not fully) the fault of the motorist involved. People who are legally using crosswalks always have the right-of-way no matter what, so if a driver does hit a pedestrian crossing the street legally, he or she is almost certainly going to be considered at fault.

Even if the pedestrian was not legally crossing in a crosswalk, drivers are still generally expected to obey all of the rules of the road and to slow down or stop if they notice a person on foot in the road. If a motorist is speeding and hits a jaywalking pedestrian, for example, the driver would still likely share at least some fault in the accident, and the same is true in a scenario in which a driver was not breaking any traffic laws, but had plenty of opportunity to slow the vehicle down to avoid striking someone.

If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, meet with a dedicated Jacksonville personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

Attorney Mark Link contributed to this blog post.