If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries. This is true even if you were not walking in a crosswalk when you were hit.
Whether you were walking in a crosswalk at the time of the accident does matter in a Colorado pedestrian accident case because it can make it easier to prove fault. However, Colorado laws protect pedestrians regardless of where they were injured.
You need an experienced Denver pedestrian accident lawyer with a proven record of success to help you recover maximum compensation. At Dan Caplis Law, we have secured numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and awards for our clients, including a $5.8 million jury verdict in a pedestrian accident case.
Call (303) 770-5551 or visit our contact page to schedule a free consultation.
Pedestrian Laws in Colorado
Colorado state law affords pedestrians broad rights but requires both pedestrians and motorists to use good sense and to act with the intent to avoid harming themselves and others.
Colorado Revised Statutes §42-4-802 outlines the rights and obligations of both pedestrians and motorists in a crosswalk. They must both follow the traffic signal system when it is in operation.
Additionally, Paragraph (1) of this statute states:
“When traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or when the pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger.”
Other laws provide the rules for pedestrians crossing the roadway when not at a marked crosswalk. Colorado Revised Statutes §42-4-803(1) requires:
“Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway.”
Even when pedestrians are not walking within a crosswalk, motorists owe a duty of care to avoid harming them. Colorado Revised Statutes §42-4-807 provides:
“Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this article, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary and shall exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any obviously confused or incapacitated person upon a roadway.”
Liability in Pedestrian Accidents at Crosswalks
Proving fault in a pedestrian accident can be much easier if the pedestrian was struck while legally crossing the road in a marked crosswalk. Drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians who are properly crossing the road at a crosswalk may be ticketed for this traffic violation. This provides strong evidence and makes our job easier.
However, motorists owe a duty of care to all pedestrians, so even when a pedestrian is struck outside of a crosswalk by a negligent driver, an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer in Denver can help uncover and collect the evidence to prove fault and build their strongest case. To recover maximum compensation for their damages.
Contact a Denver Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, you need the assistance of an experienced Colorado pedestrian accident lawyer to help secure the compensation you deserve.
At Dan Caplis Law, we have the experience, skills, resources, and proven record of success to help you recover maximum compensation in a Colorado pedestrian accident claim.
Call (303) 770-5551 or complete the short form on our contact page to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.