Losing a loved one in any kind of accident is a tragic experience that no amount of money can replace. If the accident was the result of carelessness or negligence by another person or company, however, it is important to hold the responsible party accountable. By recovering compensation through a wrongful death claim, you can pay for any remaining medical bills, funeral expenses and other financial losses.

Bicyclists and pedestrians who are involved in accidents are more likely to be seriously or fatally injured than drivers and passengers in motor vehicles. In some cases, these accidents happen because the rules and signs of the road were not clear. In others, automobile drivers failed to notice the bicycle or walker in a crosswalk or on the side of the road until it was too late.

Bicyclists and pedestrians are deemed full tort in the state of Pennsylvania, regardless of whether they carry full tort coverage on their auto insurance policies. In cases where automobile drivers do not have insurance or in hit-and-run accidents where the drivers are never identified, bicyclists and pedestrians must rely upon their own policies and their uninsured and underinsured coverage.

Most pedestrian fatalities are blamed on driver or pedestrian error. However, the report revealed that over half of all pedestrian deaths are the result of poor city design. Many of the improvements championed by civil engineers are not costly solutions like expensive skywalks or drastic reconfigurations of roads. Instead, simple tactics such as traffic calming, complete streets policies (regulatory guidelines that make streets accessible and safe for pedestrians, the disabled, bicyclers, mass transit users, etc.), and safe routes to school programs can improve the safety of streets and sidewalks.