Sometimes it can be confusing to understand your rights as a pedestrian. Since vehicles have a much higher capacity to cause an injury than pedestrians do, in Texas the driver must exercise due caution when driving on a street where pedestrians are likely to be present.
If you were injured by a car as a pedestrian, you likely suffered significant injuries and you were probably also emotionally impacted by the event. As a result, it is understandable that you would want to consider making a personal injury claim against the driver. A successful personal injury claim would result in the coverage of all medical costs relating to the accident, and potentially additional damages to compensate for the pain and suffering caused.
If you are filing a personal injury claim, you must be able to show that the driver was negligent, and as a result of their negligence, your injuries were caused. One possible way to show negligence is to show that the driver violated the right of way rules.
What are the right of way rules in Texas?
Right of way rules indicate the situations in which drivers must yield to pedestrians. When a driver fails to yield when it is their duty to do so, a person may become injured.
Right of way on crosswalks
Of course, pedestrians always have right of way when they are using a crosswalk and the sign is displaying “walk” or a green light. Pedestrians also have right of way when they are using a crosswalk and they are on the same side of the roadway as the oncoming vehicle.
Right of way on sidewalks
When vehicles come out from driveways or alleys, they may need to drive over the sidewalk. Drivers must always watch out for pedestrians in this instance, and drivers must yield to them.
Even if a driver did not breach your right of way, they can still be found to be at fault for your injuries. This is because drivers must always avoid putting pedestrians in danger. They should be traveling at reasonable speeds so that they can slow down in an unexpected event.
If you want to gain the personal injury damages that you deserve, make sure that you file within a reasonable time frame.
