On October 5, 2011, an 8-year-old girl was stuck by a car in the 1800 block Sandbridge Road in front of Red Mill Elementary School in Virginia Beach, VA. According to the Virginian-Pilot, she was on her way to soccer practice and was walking across the road when she was hit. She was then flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the girl and her family as the go through this trying time. As they were going to soccer practice their lives were immediately altered.
Due to the increased foot and vehicle traffic in a school zone, the chances for accidents with pedestrians increase dramatically. The relevant laws regarding crosswalks in school zones take this fact into consideration, but it is still necessary for you to understand the laws of pedestrians in Virginia. It is also important for drivers to be aware of the increased pedestrian traffic and know when they are required to stop. Virginia Code § 46.2-924 states, in part,
The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway at any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block …” A driver who fails to yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing at any clearly marked crosswalk may be considered negligent per se, and therefore liable.
OEA
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, which has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
Comments for this article are closed.