Attorney with Joyce & Reyes Comments on 2015 Pedestrian Car Accident Deaths

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) March 10, 2016 – In 2015, 51 pedestrians died in car accidents in Hillsborough County, the most since the state began keeping records in 1998, and a 50 percent increase from the 2014 total of 34 pedestrian fatalities.

“Our roads are very dangerous for pedestrians, and the problem is getting worse,” said Robert Joyce, a Tampa, Florida, car accident attorney with the law firm of Joyce & Reyes. “Whether the cause is poorly-designed roadways or the negligence of drivers, pedestrians are in danger, and we need to take action to protect them.”

The neighborhoods advocacy group Smart Growth America named the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area the second “most dangerous place to walk” in the United States, after Orlando.

“When a pedestrian, bicyclist, driver or passenger is injured or killed as the result of another driver’s negligence, then the victim or the victim’s family has the right to pursue compensation from the wrongdoer,” said Mr. Joyce.

Lisa Montelione, a Tampa City Councilwoman, said that transportation officials should do more to make area roads safer, particularly on the north side of Tampa, where a once-rural and industrial area is now full of strip malls and other development. Montelione said that on Busch Boulevard, Fowler Avenue and Fletcher Avenue, pedestrians are often forced to cross in the middle of the road due to a lack of crosswalks.

Some progress has been made in improving the safety of area roads for pedestrians. In 2010, Hillsborough County spent $4.4 million to install flashing warning signs and pedestrian safety islands on Fletcher Avenue, to protect the estimated 1,400 pedestrians who cross that street daily.

Officials said that although the Tampa Bay area as a whole is dangerous for pedestrians, Hillsborough County is the most dangerous. Pedestrian deaths in Pinellas and Pasco counties remained steady last year, and neither county has ever had more than 41 pedestrian fatalities.

Learn more at http://www.joyceandreyespa.com Joyce and Reyes Law Firm, P.A. 307 S Hyde Park Ave Tampa, FL 33606 Call: 813.251.2007