Have you been hit by a vehicle when you were walking? Has someone you love been injured in an accident when they were just on foot?
Some of the most challenging cases we handle involve pedestrian accidents. When you’re walking around and you’re struck by a vehicle, you have essentially nothing to shield you from the brunt of the impact. Thus, these cases can unfortunately lead to serious injuries. In the event that this happened to you, you very well may be able to recover compensation. Belal Hamideh and our team of pedestrian accident injury lawyers in Torrance may be able to help. Se Habla Español.
What Should I Do In a Pedestrian Accident?
If you can, move somewhere safe. If you feel injured, stay still. Only if you are able to do so without putting yourself at risk of further injury, move out of the flow of traffic, away from busy areas, and so forth.
Call 911. Hopefully, neither you nor anyone else sustained an injury. However, too often, the worst injuries are readily apparent moments after the accident. The injured are often in shock, internal injuries may take some time to reveal themselves, and so forth. You want to receive professional medical attention and you want to tell the police what happened. The latter will generate a police report which we can use to buttress your case.
Contact information from other parties involved. If you were hit by someone in a vehicle, you want to get their name, contact information, license, and insurance. These conversations should be cordial but short. Do not admit fault or say anything that could be used to say that you did. Also: get information from any potential witnesses, too.
If you can do so safely, document the accident scene. Use your phone to take pictures and videos, so long as you can do so without risk. Get as much as you can: injuries you sustained, injuries others may have, damage to the vehicles involved, environmental damage (skid marks, dents in buildings, etc.)
How Do I Know I Was in a Pedestrian Accident?
If you were on foot and in an accident that involves a vehicle, then you were in a pedestrian accident. Those are the parameters of a pedestrian accident. The type of vehicle is not relevant in this context. So long as a vehicle hit you when you were walking/running/etc., then you were in a pedestrian accident.
These injuries can lead to very serious injuries. Studies from the CDC and others have shown that basically one-third of all road fatalities are pedestrian accidents. This is due to many reasons, not the least of which is that the pedestrian has little to nothing to protect them from a vehicle.
Not to be alarmist, but if you are on foot, then you are at risk of a pedestrian accident. They do tend to be more common once the sun goes down, but we have represented clients whose pedestrian accidents occur early in the morning, at lunchtime, in the evening – at all times of the day.
We have represented clients of all age groups to receive maximum compensation for their pedestrian accidents. However, studies have shown that the elderly and children are more at risk of these accidents than those in other age groups.
Some of our clients, initially, may feel guilty about having been in a pedestrian accident, but the truth is that you can do everything “right” and still be struck by a vehicle. You can be alert, attentive, yet a vehicle still hits you.
So many of the clients we represented were injured because the person behind the wheel was driving at excessive speeds, was under the influence, was sending or reading a text at the time of impact, and many other reckless and/or negligent behaviors.
If you believe that you were in a pedestrian accident, we encourage you to reach out to us for a free case evaluation. We’ll let you know whether or not you have a case and how we can help.
What’s the Compensation if I’m in a Pedestrian Accident?
Victims of pedestrian accidents can recover damages that are economic and non-economic in nature. When you’re hit by a vehicle and injured, it’s very likely that you’ll need medical care. Doctor’s visits, ambulance rides, other transportation, therapy, surgery, rehab, and medicines – the medical bills can accrue quickly. Economic damages can provide you with compensation for these.
If you’re unable to work your job for a period of time due to injuries sustained in an accident, you can recover those lost wages. Additionally, if you are unable to work your job in the same capacity going forward, or are unable to work your job at all, then you can recover compensation for those wages as well.
After an accident, you may very well be in immense pain, you may be suffering, you may experience emotional trauma, distress, and similar challenges. You may lose the enjoyment of some of your favorite activities, you may lose consortium, and more. Non-economic damages can provide you with compensation for those as well.
When we represent our clients, we do so as aggressively as possible. To wit, we do everything in our power to make sure they receive maximum compensation for everything that they’ve had to go through.
How Could I Be Hurt in a Pedestrian Accident?
We have successfully represented clients who were injured in pedestrian accidents in any number of ways. Even the strongest, healthiest person can be severely injured when they’re struck by a vehicle moving at high speeds.
Clients that we have helped suffered brain injuries (including traumatic brain injuries) broken bones, spinal injuries, and injuries to their internal organs, as well as injuries to their backs, legs, and so many other kinds.
Regardless of what kinds of injuries you sustained, we will bring a lawsuit against all parties responsible so that you recover the compensation you deserve.
What Does a Pedestrian Accident Injury Lawyer Do to Help?
In short, we handle your case so that you can focus on your recovery. From the moment we take your case following a free case evaluation, we’ll launch a comprehensive investigation into your case. Our experienced team will find out exactly what happened, who’s responsible, and then bring suit against all liable parties.
The moment you sign with us, you won’t have to worry about the insurance company anymore. Instead, we’ll deal with them. They will do what they can to make sure that you receive little to no compensation. We will keep that from happening.
On our side, we’ll make sure that all of your paperwork is filed at the right time. Once negotiations start with the other side, we will be as aggressive as possible in fighting for you to receive the maximum compensation. When you sign with us, we’ll let you know what that number likely is. We’ll update you on how the negotiations are going when you want to be updated, so that you can be better informed.
A strong, strong majority of our cases are settled out of court. Insurance companies and others understand that it is in their best interest to do so, as opposed to taking us to court. However, should they choose to do so, we relish the opportunity to be able to represent our clients in a court of law, to help you to receive maximum compensation in that way.
Belal and the team here work on contingency. You do not have to pay us, not out of pocket, anything like that. Instead, you only have to pay us if we win. Once we do, our compensation will most likely come out of your winnings. Thus, we have every incentive in the world to help you to receive the maximum compensation for this challenging time in your life.
In a Pedestrian Accident, Who’s Liable?
In a majority of pedestrian accident cases, the liable party is those who hit you with their vehicle. The driver is liable in most cases. They very well may have been speeding, driving distracted, under the influence of alcohol/drugs, or doing something else that they should not have been doing when the accident occurred. In the event their reckless and/or negligent behavior led to the accident, they are liable for the accident.
That is not, however, how the other side is going to “paint it,” so to speak. They may try to say that you were liable, that you were jaywalking, that you were walking somewhere you should not have been, or some other excuse/rationalization. If that occurs, we will do everything in our power to make sure that the truth is known.
In addition to the driver, however, other parties may be liable in your pedestrian accident. Maybe the powers that be did not maintain a traffic light or crossing signal, causing it to fail and lead to your accident. Perhaps the roads were not well-maintained, thus causing the driver to lose control of their vehicle and strike you.
Our investigation will turn up the truth, finding all who are liable. Then, we will bring a lawsuit against them, even those who are only partially responsible, with the end goal being to help you receive maximum compensation for all that you’ve been through.
What’s the Best Time to File a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit?
Now. Simply put, you want to do this as soon as possible. In California, you have two years from the date of the accident itself to file a lawsuit. However, there are some circumstances that could cause that number to significantly shorten. It’s only six months, for example, if you’re in an accident involving a municipal, federal, or state vehicle.
It’s in your best interest to file sooner vs. later. As such, we can get to work on getting you your compensation that much faster. Besides, the other side isn’t going to wait around – they’ll begin an investigation (as well as trying to get you to receive less compensation than you deserve) shortly after the accident.
Belal Hamideh: Winning Pedestrian Accident Injury Lawyers in Torrance
Being struck and injured in a pedestrian accident can be one of the worst moments in a person’s life. When someone else is negligent, when they’re reckless, and when you or someone you love is hurt because of that, something must be done. You deserve compensation.
That’s where Belal and the team come in. If you believe that you have a case, we encourage you to reach out to us for a free case evaluation. From there, we’ll figure out how we can help. You can reach us through our site or by calling us.
