Car accidents remain one of the biggest threats to public health and safety faced by the people of Calgary. Many car accidents and and around the Greater Calgary Area lead to serious injuries and fatalities, even though vehicles themselves continue to get safer and safer.

And of course, the safest vehicle in the world is still quite dangerous to any pedestrian when the driver isn’t paying attention or fails to yield the right of way. At least 83% of all traffic collisions in Calgary involving pedestrians result in injuries to the pedestrian(s) involved, and in many cases those injuries are quite serious or even fatal.

1,000 pounds of metal can do a lot of damage to the human body, even at relatively low speeds.

A recent article in the Calgary Herald outlined the full estimated cost of pedestrian accidents to the individuals involved and the overall Calgary economy. These numbers make a clear case for the necessity of holding people accountable for their negligence when they cause accidents that result in someone else’s injury—the ramifications of a serious injury or fatality are extreme and far-reaching, affecting not only the injured party(ies) themselves but their family, their business and the entire community.

Adding Up the Cost of Injuries and Fatalities in Calgary Pedestrian Accidents

According to the report cited by the Calgary Herald, the average cost of a Calgary traffic collision that injures a pedestrian is $162,300. When an accident is serious enough to cause a pedestrian fatality that number skyrockets to $6,683,900, and it’s easy to understand why when you look at all of the costs such an accident creates.

First, there are the direct expenses incurred for medical care, which is often just as substantial if not more so in cases where injuries ultimately prove fatal. Then there are expenses for funerals and other related needs, which can create a significant burden for Calgary families who weren’t prepared for such a sudden accident and death.

In addition to these direct expenses, the total cost estimate for pedestrian accidents also includes lost earnings, which are often a result even of non-fatal injuries, clearly a fatal injury is even more disruptive to one’s lifelong ability to earn an income and provide for their family. These lost wages hurt not only the worker who has been injured or killed, but also their employer—or their employees if they own a business—as well as the customers/clients the business serves.

Then there are the costs of lost productivity to everyone else not directly involved in the accident but who are delayed by the accident and/or road closures and other emergency responses to the accident and of course the cost of these emergency responses—vehicles, personnel, and so on.

Add in financial estimates for the emotional pain and suffering caused by significant injury and/or the loss of a loved one, and the figures put out by the report might actually seem cheap.

Talk to a Calgary Personal Injury Lawyer About Your Pedestrian Accident

The amounts reported by the Calgary Herald are average estimates, and should not be used to set expectations for any individual case. If you have questions regarding a pedestrian accident in which you or a family member sustained serious injuries, please contact our office today for a free consultation.