“Look Both Ways” December 4, 2008
Posted by Attorney Jonathan Groth in FAQ Personal Injury, Wisconsin Auto Accidents.Tags: child injury, child safety, pedestrian, Wisconsin Auto Accidents, Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
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I’ve said that phrase a bazillion times the past few years. Those with small boys will understand. As a personal injury attorney maybe I’m a little (actually a lot) more worried about car versus pedestrian accidents. I’ve handled a great number of cases where people walked across the street at the cross walk and not at the cross walk. In short, always cross at the cross walk, even if it means walking a few hundred feet out of your way.
The reason I mention this is a blog post that Attorney Michael Pines of California wrote. California has a new program called the “Safe Routes to School Program.” It’s a good idea. I don’t know of anything like it in Wisconsin.
In short Attorney Pines describes it as:
What the program intends to do is to create specific, easily accessible routes for children to walk to school with reduced dangers and hazards. The routes include smaller traffic flow, safety barriers between pedestrians and traffic, lower speed limits in these zones, and in some areas, the restriction of auto traffic altogether.
I don’t know what the cost of the program would be. But, in theory it sounds like a good idea. Maybe some generous foundation could fund this?
Jon Groth is a Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney handling cases throughout Wisconsin and most recently in Fond du lac, West Bend, Kenosha and Wauwatosa.
Common Courtesy and, Oh Yeah, It’s the Law June 4, 2008
Posted by Attorney Jonathan Groth in FAQ Personal Injury.Tags: pedestrian, personal injury, wisconsin personal injury
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Car versus Pedestrian. This is not a battle anyone wants to be a party to especially if you are the pedestrian. So, what is the law in Wisconsin about pedestrians and right of way? Just so you know, if you are walking in a cross walk or with the “green little person” you have the right of way. Yes, drivers that means that you have to slow down (it isn’t all bad you’ll save on gas).
Wisconsin’s Jury Instructions state:
The Wisconsin statutes define “right of way” as the privilege of the immediate use of the roadway and, further provide, that at an intersection or crosswalk where traffic is controlled by traffic control signals or by a traffic officer, the operator of a vehicle shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing or who has started to cross the highway on a green or “Walk” signal and in all other cases pedestrians shall yield the right of way to vehicles lawfully proceeding directly ahead on a green signal.
Jon Groth is a Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney handling cases throughout Wisconsin and most recently in Wauwatosa, Green Bay, Ozaukee and Milwaukee.
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