The Importance of Seeking Legal Counsel After a Pedestrian Accident
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By PAGE Editor
An accident can happen to anyone. You’re walking, minding your own business, when all of a sudden, an out-of-control vehicle hits you.
Nobody wants to think about this happening to them, but pedestrian accidents are unfortunately common in the United States. They can occur anywhere, even on the sidewalk if a driver makes a severe mistake. For pedestrians, the consequences of an accident are often dire. Studies show that pedestrians make up 26% of global fatalities from car accidents.
After an accident, there are a few things you need to do to set up your recovery. One of the most important is consulting legal counsel. Here are a few ways the right legal assistance can help you after a pedestrian accident.
You Need Compensation to Recover After An Accident
Pedestrian accidents have a higher risk of severe injury than collisions involving motor vehicles. The reason is simple. A person on foot is no match for a metal vehicle weighing several tons and going at a speed much faster than a human pedestrian. The force of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian leaves lasting damage on a person’s body.
The aftermath of an accident for the pedestrian usually involves missed work or even extended disability leave, expensive surgeries, and lots of painful recovery. Working with a lawyer for hit pedestrians can help make that recovery happen. The ugly truth is that recovering from an accident costs money. The average American doesn’t have the money to secure that recovery unless a lawyer gets it for them.
Getting the compensation you deserve can help you focus on your recovery without worrying about how you will finance medical treatment. Many people go back to work earlier than they should because they run out of money, exacerbating injuries and ensuring that they never fully recover. A lawyer makes sure that your priority is recovery.
The Other Party Will Try to Avoid Compensating You
Pedestrian accidents should be the simplest accidents when it comes to compensation. In most legal jurisdictions, the burden of proof is on the driver to prove that they were not at fault. Pedestrians are almost never at fault for their injuries, especially if they were walking in areas designated for people on foot. The severity of pedestrian injuries means drivers are held to higher standards.
However, this describes the ideal legal circumstances for an outcome. In reality, powerful insurance companies try to resist any payout they can. They will find any way to discredit you, cast doubt on the facts of the accident, and delay the payouts that you are due.
Many pedestrians make the mistake of representing themselves in court, thinking that the facts of the case are so simple that they will easily win a payout, only to face insurance company stonewalling. Having a professional lawyer by your side ensures that no insurance company can take advantage of you.
You May Be Eligible for Compensation Without Knowing It
When most people think about pedestrian accidents, they think about car accidents. It’s true that the most severe injuries people sustain while walking come from collisions with motor vehicles.
However, these are not the only injuries that you could experience as a pedestrian. People trip and injure themselves, slip on uneven surfaces, or have things fall on them from above. Most people assume that these incidents are just accidents or chalk them up to bad luck. It’s important not to minimize any type of pedestrian accident. While tripping seems like a silly thing to sue over, injuries resulting from a fall can be severe, especially for elderly pedestrians.
The causes are also more sinister than they appear to be at first glance. While many people blame their own clumsiness for pedestrian accidents, the responsibility often lies with other people. Poorly maintained sidewalks, improper municipal snow and ice clearance, and badly secured construction sites injure countless pedestrians in Pennsylvania and New Jersey each year.
A lawyer specializing in pedestrian accidents can help you determine if the circumstances of your accident are such that you are eligible for compensation. A lawyer can also help you figure out who to sue, because finding the responsible parties in pedestrian accidents that don’t involve vehicles is sometimes complicated.
Why You Should Call a Lawyer After a Pedestrian Accident
After seeking immediate medical attention, your first call after a pedestrian accident should be to a lawyer. A lawyer can help you build a case, determine who is at fault, and, most importantly, secure the compensation you are entitled to and which you need to recover.
After an accident, get a lawyer on the case as soon as possible. That way, they can be more effective since the evidence is fresh, and you can get your compensation faster.
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