10 Erroneous Answers To Common Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Questions: Do You Know The Right Ones?
Why You Need a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Pedestrians who are struck by cars are at a higher risk for catastrophic injuries. Fractures or broken bones organ damage, trauma, spinal cord trauma and disfigurement are all common injuries.
A competent NYC pedestrian accident lawyer can assist victims in obtaining compensation for their current and future medical expenses, rehabilitative care expenses, loss of income due to missed work, and other damages.
What to do after an Pedestrian Accident
Even with sidewalks and crosswalks walking along a road puts the risk of being struck by a vehicle. If you're walking along the street or running to the car to get groceries, pedestrians face the risk of serious injuries and death in the event of being struck by a car. If you've been struck by a car while on the sidewalk, it's crucial to immediately take action to protect your legal rights and financial interests. An experienced New York pedestrian accident lawyer can assist you through the complex process of filing an injury claim.
It is also important to seek medical attention as soon as possible following a pedestrian crash. This should be done before discussing the incident with any insurance company. Your adrenaline may mask any symptoms or pain, so it's critical to have a medical exam and diagnosis from a physician. Delays in seeking care can negatively impact your ability to claim compensation for your losses and injuries.
If you seek medical attention After receiving medical treatment, you must contact the police to file a report of the incident. You should get the name of the officer who was responsible, his badge number, and the case number assigned. This will make it easier to obtain a copy the police report when it's finished. It's also beneficial to keep any additional information you provide to the police officer, so you can have a clear and complete overview of what transpired.
Take photos of the scene of the accident and your injuries if you own an mobile phone. This can be crucial evidence that supports your claims. Lastly, try to get the names and contact details of any witnesses present at the scene of the accident. This will also serve as evidence to support your case, as it is difficult to prove liability without the testimony of any other participants in the collision.
An attorney can evaluate your claim and determine the type of damages you're entitled to. These may include future and current medical expenses, rehabilitation expenses, lost wages resulting from missing work or work, property damage, emotional distress and pain and suffering. A pedestrian accident lawyer can maximize your compensation by ensuring that all your losses are documented and accounted for.
Establishing Liability
Your lawyer can assist in determining who is accountable for your injuries, and help you create an argument against the person or parties responsible. They will gather evidence such as eyewitness testimony, CCTV footage and police reports to support your case. They also collaborate with accident reconstruction experts who can recreate the scene to determine factors such as speed, impact angles and more.
Other parties may be accountable for your injuries even if the driver who hit the pedestrian is typically at fault. This could include the government agency that is responsible for road conditions and road safety, if it is proved that inadequate lighting or blocked views caused your accident. Based on the laws of your state and regulations, you may be entitled to compensation from the insurance policy of the driver's no-fault.
In addition to that, your lawyer can look over any evidence of a hit-and run accident and attempt to track down the driver who left the scene. This is particularly important if you've been injured by a drunk driver.
It is also important to note that pedestrians may be held accountable in certain states for not exercising the necessary care for their safety. In New York, for example, pedestrians must obey traffic signals and signs and remain alert in areas with a high volume of traffic. If a judge determines that you contributed to your accident in any way, your damages could be reduced by an amount proportional to the amount of responsibility.
Your NYC pedestrian accident lawyer will help you obtain compensation to cover any medical costs you might have incurred in the future, as well as lost wages due to missing work days, and the pain and suffering. They can also assist you in recovering compensation if you have suffered property damage or other damages. They will collaborate with experts in the field to accurately estimate your losses so that they reflect your accident's full impact on your life. They can also negotiate with insurance companies to ensure you are paid in a fair manner and don't be a victim of bad-faith tactics. They can even take over interactions with insurance companies to ensure that you don't have to accept less than you deserve.
How to File a Claim
Pedestrian accidents can be a bit complicated and difficult to navigate without the help of an experienced attorney. Whether you should file an insurance claim or seek damages through a lawsuit to cover your losses and injuries isn't always clear, and choosing the wrong route could have disastrous financial consequences. For instance choosing to settle with an insurance company may seem like a viable option after being struck by a vehicle, but oftentimes their offers do not fully cover all of your losses.
Your first step should be to seek medical attention right away to treat your injuries. Oxnard is essential to record the severity of your injury as well as the resulting effects, including physical pain, emotional stress and loss of quality of life. It is important to keep track of all expenses related to the accident. This includes medical bills, lost income from working hours missed, and property damage.
You'll then have to file a claim with the vehicle owner or driver's insurance company. In states that have no-fault law, the personal injury protection coverage of the driver, which is an integral part of the majority of car insurance policies, will cover the pedestrians' injuries regardless of who was at fault for an accident. In other instances the pedestrian's personal insurance could be in place, based on the type of insurance coverage.
Before filing any type of insurance claim, it's important to consult an New York pedestrian injury lawyer. Insurance companies are not only experts in settling claims for less than they are worth, but they are also able to find loopholes in the law that might prevent you from recovering all of your losses.
An experienced and knowledgeable pedestrian accident lawyer from Shaevitz & Shaevitz can help you decide which option to pursue in order to recover of your losses. We can review any settlement offer from the insurance company and make sure that it is sufficient to compensate you for your damages which include medical bills and lost wages due to working hours missed as well as emotional trauma and the costs of rehabilitation. In certain cases we may also be able to assist in pursuing compensation from other parties who could be liable for your losses, such as the city for poorly designed crossingwalks and sidewalks, or a company if an driver on duty hits you.
Recovering Compensation
A car accident can be a life-changing event. You could be required to pay for expensive medical bills and lose money due to the absence of work. It can also cause constant emotional and physical pain. If you are in this situation you should consult a lawyer who will assist you in recovering the maximum amount of compensation. An attorney who has experience dealing with pedestrian accidents is the best option because they are able to determine the total amount you'll be entitled to and how to handle insurance companies that attempt to reduce or deny your claim.
The right of way for pedestrians is guaranteed in many traffic situations and a seasoned NYC pedestrian accident lawyer can gather evidence to show this in court. They will rely on witness testimony or video footage as well as police reports to create a strong case on your behalf. This will give you the best chance of recovering the compensation you are entitled to pay your medical bills as well as lost wages and other damages caused by the accident.
You will only be able to get the compensation you need after being hit as a pedestrian by a vehicle when you hire an attorney. A lawyer can also protect you from being a victim of the insurance company of the driver responsible and negotiate an equitable settlement for you.
Depending on the extent of your injuries you may be entitled to the compensation you deserve for your economic and non-economic damage. Economic damages are the amount of your medical expenses and the loss of your income, whereas non-economic damages are based on your pain and suffering.
New York is an insurance no-fault state. This means that any injury claim must be submitted to the car insurance company of the driver at fault. If your injuries fall within the serious threshold for injury, you can pursue the driver directly for negligence.
It is important to speak with a pedestrian accident lawyer as soon as you can after your collision, because the time limit for filing a claim is extremely short. A qualified and knowledgeable lawyer will be able to assist you in the process and ensure you have all of the necessary evidence before the deadline expires.