PEDESTRIANS ARE VULNERABLE

Ontario road safety organizations remind us that pedestrians are vulnerable road users. Pedestrians are not protected by the cage of an enclosed vehicle and can't benefit from a vehicle's safety features like seat belts and airbags.  Pedestrians are smaller than vehicles and so less visible to moving traffic. A pedestrian is much more likely to be severely injured in a collision with a vehicle. (TIRF Nov/2015)

If this is you, and you have been hit by a vehicle, what should you do?

Here are our Top 5 Tips:

1. Seek Immediate Medical Assistance. In a vehicle on pedestrian strike, chances are an ambulance has been called. Get the medical help you need. It is essential for your well being. It also documents your injury and starts a written record of your injury and treatment. After you get treatment, follow up with an appointment to your family doctor. Your family doctor is your key day to day treatment provider and your primary medical record keeper.

2. Make a Police Report. Most likely, this will happen at the scene or even at the hospital. Ask the officer who takes your statement for her I.D. including her name, badge number and which police department she works for. Ask for one of her public information cards with her station phone number. Get a copy of the report when it is completed. It should have the driver's name, address and insurance information on it. You are entitled to this information. You need this information.

3. Notify the Insurance Company. You should notify the insurance company within 7 days of the accident. If you are unable to do so because you are hospitalized and under treatment, then you need to do this as soon as reasonably possible. If you have your own car insurance, you can notify your own insurer. Even if you don't own a car or have car insurance, you have coverage as a pedestrian either with 1) the Driver's Insurance Company or 2) Ontario's Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund (MVAC). The Fund is a last resort when a pedestrian does not have their own car insurance and the at fault driver has no insurance or is unidentified. Never assume that the at fault driver has notified his own car insurer. You notify the insurance company.

4. Take Selfies. Even better if family or a friend takes pics for you. Document your injuries. Bruises and cuts will fade with time. Casts will be removed. Record your injuries before they are no longer visible to the naked eye.

5. Write Down What Happened. Take time to write out in detail exactly what happened that day and how the accident happened. Go through it step by step. The details are fresh in your mind now. Details fade with time.

If you've been hit by a car, protect yourself and call an experienced injury lawyer.

Don't rely on the at fault driver to do the right thing. Call and get the information you need.