Whether Las Vegas is doing enough for pedestrian safety depends on who you ask. The city’s challenges go past protecting pedestrians from logjams, drunk or distracted drivers, and similar dangers. After all, pedestrians can be uniquely at risk in terrorist attempts. However, no matter what measures the city takes, pedestrian accidents will happen.
If you’re injured, get in touch with a Las Vegas pedestrian accident lawyer. Call George Bochanis Injury Law Offices at (702) 388-2005 to discuss your options for compensation.
Pedestrian Safety Challenges on the Las Vegas Strip
The Strip is known for its glittering casinos as well as its heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic. These dynamics create many challenges.
Higher Odds of Accidents
As many as 50,000 people walk the Strip on an average day. Combining these people with all the vehicles traveling the Strip means higher chances of pedestrians at extreme risk.
Diverse Mix of Pedestrians
Pedestrians on the Strip include slow-walking tourists, street performers, and vendors. Each type of pedestrian can contribute to bottlenecks. For example, slow-walking tourists walk leisurely, taking in the sights, and sometimes stop abruptly to change course or discuss where to go next. Then there are tourists who take pictures frequently. They might stop suddenly in the middle of sidewalks or bridges to take photos and linger. Similarly, larger groups of people posing for pictures might force other pedestrians to squeeze by or step off the sidewalk into traffic.
Street performers and vendors like to set up on the Strip to entertain tourists and make money. They can draw huge crowds, including at escalators and crosswalks, making it difficult for pedestrians to get through bottlenecks. Large tour groups may also block access to escalators, crosswalks, and store entrances, since group members stop to listen to their guide.
Then there are panhandlers and solicitors handing out fliers or asking for donations. Some pedestrians may also be under the influence, resulting in erratic walking patterns.
Distractions
Whether you are a driver or a pedestrian, there’s lots to see on the Strip. The casinos flash their bright lights, massive ads play on digital billboards, and street performers may entertain crowds at corners galore. These distractions can lead to both drivers and pedestrians taking their attention off the road and sidewalks. Moreover, some drivers in Las Vegas are tourists unfamiliar with the area, making them even more vulnerable to distractions and causing accidents.
Alcohol
Many people drink while they wander Las Vegas, whether they are on foot or in a vehicle. This alcohol consumption hurts drivers’ and pedestrians’ judgment, reaction times, and much more.
Jaywalking
Some pedestrians ignore crosswalks and pedestrian bridges in favor of jaywalking. Crossing at unauthorized spots can be unsafe and increase the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions.
Lighting
Good lighting helps with pedestrian safety. Even though lights may seem everywhere on the Strip, this is not always the case in reality. Dimly lit crosswalks and spots can lead to accidents.
What Measures Are Being Taken to Protect Pedestrians in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas and Clark County officials are, of course, aware of these issues, and have taken various approaches while tackling how to improve pedestrian safety. One measure in the city is the installation of bollards.
Bollards
In 2018, Clark County started installing 6,000 bollards along the Strip. Each bollard should be able to withstand a head-on collision from a 15,000-pound vehicle going 50 miles per hour. Bollards also protect pedestrians from vehicles jumping onto sidewalks, and can be effective in both terrorist attacks and traffic incidents.
Pedestrian Bridges Law
Las Vegas has pedestrian bridges at certain high-traffic intersections to keep foot traffic separate from roadways. However, pedestrian issues remain.
A newer law focuses on the street performers who impede access to pedestrian bridges and cause gridlock. The law does not permit people on the pedestrian bridges or near stairways, elevators, or escalators near the bridges to stop, stand, or engage in an activity that causes someone else to stop.
Tourists can still stop and take photos on bridges, but street performers can face consequences such as six months in jail and $1,000 in fines. That said, a first offense is likely to get a warning to move on or a citation and no jail time.
Opinions on the legality of this law are mixed. The law raises free speech issues, and some people consider the government to be overreaching its authority as it tries to keep pedestrians safe.
Various Ordinances
Behaviors such as breaching the peace, jaywalking, loitering, and unlawful assembly are not permitted on the Strip. Police may issue tickets or arrest people, especially if there are pedestrian safety issues.
AI and Other Technologies
In 2024, Las Vegas received a $1.4 million federal grant to test AI pedestrian system technology around the Fremont Street Experience. The tech knows when pedestrians are waiting to cross the road. It can adjust traffic signal times to cut down on unprotected crossings and make crossings in general safer. If all goes well, other areas of Las Vegas with high foot traffic could get the technology later to improve pedestrian safety.
Improved Lighting
Officials have worked to enhance street and crosswalk lighting, especially for areas that get a lot of nighttime pedestrian traffic. Smart crosswalks with LED lights illuminate when pedestrians are crossing. The lights make crosswalks more visible to drivers, which is especially helpful at night. This technology may gain a foothold in Las Vegas at some point.
Also, since increased awareness of pedestrians can lower accidents, pedestrians can add to their own safety by wearing light-colored and reflective clothing.
Campaigns
In Nevada, there were 83 pedestrian fatalities in 2022, and a total of 416 fatalities of all types (car, pedestrian, bicyclist, etc.). Any number other than 0 is too much, hence state programs such as “Zero Fatalities.” This program works to educate the public on various realities and safety practices in hopes of eventually reaching the zero mark.
When to Contact a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Las Vegas
Accidents are inevitable despite the measures to protect pedestrians on the Strip. A pedestrian accident lawyer can help if you are injured. When is a good time to contact one?
- Severe injuries: Personal injury claims get even more complicated with severe injuries requiring medical attention. If you have been hurt badly, contact a lawyer as soon as possible. You may be eligible for many types of compensation you did not realize you could get.
- Unclear or disputed liability: Photographs, camera footage, witness statements, medical records, and other types of evidence your lawyer gathers can help prove the other side’s liability.
- Insurance involvement: Insurance companies often make lowball offers or rush to settle. Conversely, some prolong negotiations, hoping to get injured people to give up or accept an unfair offer as the two-year statute of limitations deadline approaches.
- Statute of limitations: You generally have two years from the date of an accident to file personal injury lawsuits in Nevada. However, exceptions apply that can shorten or lengthen this timeframe. A lawyer can ensure you keep your options open or give you possible next steps even if you believe the statute of limitations in your case may have passed.
If you are ever in doubt about whether you need a lawyer if you’re involved in a pedestrian accident, it never hurts to contact one. Even minor injuries can get worse over time, and various types of compensation may be available to you.
You may also not be at fault, even if you think you are. Traffic laws prioritize pedestrian safety. Drivers have a higher duty of care since they are operating a huge, dangerous vehicle. Pedestrians typically have more severe injuries in collisions since they are unprotected and vulnerable, while drivers have airbags and seatbelts.
A pedestrian could jaywalk or cross while distracted and still be less at fault than the driver under Nevada’s comparative negligence law. Much depends on whether the driver was speeding, distracted, under the influence, or something else.
Types of Compensation a Lawyer Could Get You
Pedestrian injuries often include broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and internal damage. Treatment for any of these tends to be extensive and costly. Multiple surgeries and ongoing treatment may be necessary, and life-altering injuries add to a person’s emotional distress and pain and suffering. Pedestrians’ injuries also might prevent them from working temporarily or permanently. Compensation often includes lost wages and loss of future earning capacity.
Pedestrian accidents can cause extreme physical pain, emotional trauma, PTSD, and loss of enjoyment of life. These are noneconomic damages and may increase a personal injury settlement.
Personal injury lawyers usually offer free consultations and work on contingency. This lets you focus on recovering without the stress of worrying about how to pay a lawyer. Contact us today at George Bochanis Injury Law Offices.
