Montana recently saw a pair of fatal pedestrian accidents in one weekend, demonstrating that the nationwide problem with pedestrian deaths also tragically affects this state.
The first of the two accidents happened in another part of Montana. According to police, a driver who apparently did stop after the accident said she saw a pedestrian on the road and tried to avoid him. However, she hit the man after he also supposedly changed his path, killing the man.
Authorities suggested that the driver may have been legally drunk.
The second pedestrian accident happened in Butte. Since this was a hit-and-run, police are asking for the community’s help in finding the driver that hit the pedestrian. The accident happened at an intersection. The victim was 38 years old and died at the scene of the accident.
Victims of pedestrian accidents may need to use several legal options
Especially when the driver responsible for the accident leaves the scene, pedestrian accidents in Montana frequently raise important legal and factual issues:
- Not all pedestrian accidents end in fatalities, but given that pedestrians weigh next to nothing compared to motor vehicles and are usually unprotected, they often suffer serious and debilitating injuries that cost a lot to treat.
- On a related point, a victim of a pedestrian accident may not be able to work again for a long time, if at all. Their injuries may also involve a lot of emotional and physical pain and require them to have constant assistance even with basic activities.
- Assuming a victim has this coverage, they may have to file a claim for uninsured or underinsured motorist benefits with their own insurance carrier.
- Responsible motorists and the insurance companies that defend them may try to claim that the pedestrian victim was partially if not primarily at fault for the accident.
Victims of pedestrian accidents and their families will want to protect themselves legally and make sure they know their options. Not doing so could mean that they receive far less compensation than what they really need and deserve.