Pedestrian accidents often involve severe injuries and complicated medical treatment and recovery. Clients often aren’t sure what to do when they’re involved in a pedestrian accident.
People generally think of automobile accidents as being between two vehicles, but that’s not always the case. There are bicycle, motorcycle, and pedestrian collisions with automobiles too.
What Is a Pedestrian Accident?
Pedestrian accidents take place when people who are crossing the street, or walking are struck by a moving motor vehicle. In that scenario, it’s still an automobile accident.
It involves a claim against the insurance carrier and works much like a typical intersection collision.
However, there are several differences. For example, because you are not protected by a car, the injuries tend to be greater. As a result, the pedestrian is almost immediately:
- Out of work and missing income
- Medical bills are piling up for extensive medical treatment
- On a slippery slope of a downward financial spiral due to the wreck
Pedestrian accident victims start to face many great challenges. The last thing they want to be worried about is the legalities of the situation. But the legalities are still important. That’s where having a good pedestrian accident attorney can be extremely helpful.
Role of a Pedestrian Accident Attorney
The attorney steps in immediately to start helping the victim collect evidence. This starts with ensuring that the police report is accurate. And once it is accurate, your attorney obtains a copy for evidential records.
The legal team collects statements from everyone. Pedestrian accidents often have many witnesses. Witnesses can be other pedestrians, people who were within businesses that are on the corner of the intersection where the accident took place, and other drivers.
These accidents tend to become a he said, she said situation. The at-fault driver claims that the pedestrian did something wrong, such as entering an intersection when it had a clear “don’t walk” sign. However, witness accounts can help demonstrate that the victim was crossing when and where they were supposed to be.
At this point, pedestrian accident victims want a lawyer who will fight for their rights. Stewart & Stewart is fierce in their investigation of the scenario and defense of the client’s rights.
As the bills start to accumulate for pedestrian accident victims, we also look at the victim’s auto policy. If they have med pay (medical bill payments), they can start getting those bills paid.
Under med pay, you can get immediate payment for medical bills if you’re injured in a motor vehicle accident, regardless of fault. A motor vehicle accident just needs to involve a car. So a pedestrian hit by a car is involved in a motor vehicle accident.
When the case settles, we negotiate with both the at-fault party and your med pay coverage so that you get more money in your pocket after an accident. But it also means you don’t have to worry about your medical bills while working through the details of your case.
Pedestrian Accident Injuries
After any car wreck, it’s very important that you don’t ignore your injuries. We’ve seen many cases where pedestrian victims don’t realize at the scene that they’ve been injured, sometimes this is due to adrenaline and shock.
Once they get home, they start ignoring or not even recognizing the injuries that they have. They make the mistake of repeatedly telling people that they are fine. But as time wears on, they realize they are not so fine.
Getting the right medical treatment as soon as possible is crucial to your case and phsyical recovery.
Reach Out for Legal Help
For Indiana pedestrian accident attorneys who will fight for your rights, schedule a free consultation with Stewart & Stewart today.