How many pedestrian accidents occur in Seattle?

A few weeks ago, we took a look at the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) statistics for pedestrian accidents nationwide. While those numbers showed that over 4,500 people were killed in the U.S. in pedestrian accidents in 2013, what does this mean for us here in Seattle? Luckily, we can take a look at some statistics compiled by the city’s department of transportation (DOT), and see how dangerous it is to walk around Seattle now that the weather is starting to get better.

According to the numbers published by the Seattle DOT, there were 473 collisions involving cars and pedestrians in 2014, the last year for which published statistics are available. This number was up from under 400 the year prior. It amounted to 71 pedestrian collisions for every 100,000 Seattle city dwellers. Of these, 366 pedestrian accidents that year resulted in injury, serious injury or death, also a rise over the prior annual count. As might be expected, the bulk of these collisions occurred in the more crowded and densely constructed area of downtown.

While Seattle is pretty low on the list of large cities for pedestrian fatalities, each one of those 366 people injured in a pedestrian accident likely had to deal with medical costs, possible lost time at work, and pain and suffering. In some of those cases, a father, mother, sibling or child didn’t come home, and grieving family members were left to pick up the pieces. Further, if the trend from 2014 continues, we could expect to see even more people affected by these kinds of accidents as time goes on.

As Seattle continues to grow, there is a likelihood that more and more people will be on the streets, either as drivers or pedestrians. When a car collides with someone on foot, the consequences are often very serious for the pedestrian. Those who have been injured in such pedestrian accidents may have legal opportunities for compensation to help them deal with their injuries.

Matthew D. Dubin

Matt Dubin has spent more than 20 years honing his skills as one of the top personal injury lawyers in the State of Washington. In his career, Matt has focused on protecting consumers from dangerous household products, medical mistakes, roadway accidents, and many other causes of injury. Matt has recovered nearly $20 million on behalf of his clients.

Education

• University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington – J.D.
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut – B.A.

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