Connecticut – The Doctor Lawyer Team, a personal injury law firm, revisits the passage of Connecticut House Bill No. 5429 – Public Act No. 21-28 (Bill), titled "An Act Concerning Pedestrian Safety."
The Connecticut House of Representatives unanimously approved the Bill in May 2021, and the Senate approved the legislation by a vote of 32 to 3. The Bill was signed by the Governor on June 7, 2021, and it went into effect on October 1, 2021.
Among other changes, drivers must now yield at crosswalks to pedestrians who signal their intent to cross by raising their hand toward oncoming traffic or moving any part of their body (including a wheelchair, walking stick, or other extension) into the crosswalk's entrance, according to the new rules. Previously, pedestrians had to enter the crosswalk or step off the curb to be legally granted the right of way.
Although the Bill was only effective on October 1, 2021, in a recent article in the Connecticut Public, the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center indicated that 2022 “could become one of the more deadly years for pedestrians in the state, continuing a troubling trend.” These deaths were due, in part, to “a combination of larger and heavier cars, higher speeds and distracted drivers.”
A Spotlight on Highway Safety | Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) 2021 Preliminary Report “used the latest available state-reported data to project the number of pedestrian deaths in each state and nationwide for all 12 months of 2021. GHSA projects a total of 7,485 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes, an increase of 11.5%. This would be the largest number of pedestrian fatalities in four decades.” The preliminary report also indicated that In Connecticut, the number of pedestrians killed has doubled from 26 in 2011 to 52 in 2021.
“As Connecticut personal injury attorneys, we find these statistics concerning, and we clearly have more work to do to prevent pedestrian accidents. While the passage of the Bill is a step in the right direction in contributing to the reduction of the number of pedestrian accidents and fatalities, we also recognize that pedestrian accidents will continue to occur due to distracted and impaired drivers.
“Pedestrian accident victims are in good hands with The Doctor Lawyer Team. In addition to determining the amount and type of compensation a client may be entitled to from the party or parties that caused their injuries, we handle all legal aspects of a client's case. Though we hope that this alarming trend in the rise of pedestrian injuries and deaths will start to trend downward, pedestrian fatalities are still becoming far too common, as reported in a recent We-Ha.com article,” says founding attorney Paul McConnell.
About The Doctor Lawyer Team
At The Doctor Lawyer Team, our mission is to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients and their families to achieve justice in the face of adversity. Founding attorneys Paul McConnell and Dr. Michael Giordano are trial lawyers with the experience and success to ensure you enjoy your legal rights. Dr. Giordano is a board-certified neurosurgeon and attorney, and attorney Paul McConnell is a former Judge and federal prosecutor.
We are a veteran-owned personal injury law firm that combines legal and medical expertise to deliver results, and we have unparalleled and uncompromising professional standards. Our personal injury doctor/lawyer team represents victims of serious injuries and families of those who have died because of incidents that occurred due to negligence.
We also help military families, both stateside and abroad, recover compensation if a family member or dependent has suffered injury through negligence or malpractice of a military doctor, hospital, clinic, or other medical facility. For nearly all our professional lives, we have been committed to serving alongside service members with “Mission Accomplishment” as the hallmark of our calling.
If you or a family member have been a pedestrian and injured due to a motor vehicle accident, call The Doctor Lawyer Team at (833) DLT-WINS; (833) 358-9467 to schedule your free consultation.
Visit us on the web at: www.doctorlawyerteam.com.
