​What Are Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries?

If a motorist hit you while you were on foot, you know the severe, life-altering injuries a pedestrian accident can cause. Common pedestrian accident injuries …
What Are Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries?

If a motorist hit you while you were on foot, you know the severe, life-altering injuries a pedestrian accident can cause. Common pedestrian accident injuries such as soft tissue injuries, broken bones, back and spinal injuries, and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) may require weeks or months of medical care and rehabilitation. Even once you finish treatment, you may still have permanent disabilities or chronic complications that can interfere with your ability to work or participate in activities and reduce your quality of life.

The type and severity of injuries you suffer in a pedestrian accident may affect the compensation you can recover in insurance and legal claims. Working with a Miami pedestrian accident lawyer can help you preserve your legal options for pursuing financial relief and make the claims process smoother, allowing you to focus your time and energy on your medical treatment and rehab.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics

What Are Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 7,000 pedestrians died in motor vehicle accidents in one recent year, for a rate of one fatality every 75 minutes. In addition, approximately 104,000 emergency department visits involved pedestrians who suffered non-fatal crash injuries.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that pedestrian accident fatalities have increased by more than 59 percent over the past 14 years, accounting for about 17 percent of all motor vehicle accident deaths. People aged 20 through 69 have the highest rate of pedestrian accident fatalities of any age cohort.

Common Types of Pedestrian Accident Injuries

Because they have little protection from a collision with a motor vehicle, pedestrians can suffer a wide range of injuries, such as:

The Recovery Process for Pedestrian Accident Injuries

Depending on the severity of the injuries you suffered in a pedestrian accident, you may have a medical recovery period that involves a single visit to the ER or urgent care clinic followed by recovery at home, or you may need surgery followed by months of medical care and rehabilitation.

Many pedestrian accident injuries require follow-up care with a doctor, who may prescribe a course of physical therapy to help the patient recover from injuries such as soft-tissue injuries, broken bones, or herniated spinal disc injuries. If you’ve suffered severe permanent disabilities, you may need ongoing medical care to help manage complications from those disabilities.

Severe pedestrian accident injuries that result in physical disabilities or permanent scarring and disfigurement may result in:

Your pedestrian accident lawyer can seek compensation for all of those impacts.

Common Types and Causes of Pedestrian Accidents

Some of the most frequent kinds of pedestrian accidents include:

Many pedestrian accidents occur due to the negligence of motorists.

Common causes of pedestrian accidents include:

As a pedestrian injured in a collision with an automobile, you may have several options for recovering compensation for your medical bills and other expenses.

These options include:

Compensation Available for Pedestrian Accident Injuries

When you have a legal claim against an at-fault driver or other liable parties, you can pursue compensation for:

What Steps Should You Take After Suffering Pedestrian Accident Injuries?

After a pedestrian accident, to protect your right to recover compensation for your injuries and other losses:

Finally, contact a pedestrian accident lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your legal options for recovering compensation and to get started with your case.

How Long Do You Have to File a Pedestrian Accident Injury Claim?

Under Florida’s revised statute of limitations on injury claims, you typically have two years from the date of a pedestrian accident to file a lawsuit against an at-fault driver and other liable parties. Filing a lawsuit after the statutory deadline risks having your case dismissed by the trial court regardless of the merits of your claim. If this happens, you could lose your right to seek compensation in civil court for your injuries.

In addition to the statute of limitations, if your pedestrian accident involves a vehicle owned by the state, county, or city government, Florida’s Tort Claims Act requires you to provide written notice of your claim with the appropriate government agency within three years of the accident. You may only file a lawsuit against the government once it denies your claim or six months have passed. However, you still must file your lawsuit within the statute of limitations.

Due to the strict deadlines for filing a pedestrian accident claim, you should speak with a pedestrian accident lawyer as soon as possible to ensure you can file your claims on time.

What Happens if You Bear Partial Responsibility for the Accident?

Even if the driver who hit you tries to claim that you stepped into traffic against the light or walked around distracted by your cell phone or music on your headphones, you can still pursue a pedestrian accident injury claim if you bear some fault for the accident.

Under Florida’s comparative negligence law, having partial responsibility for the pedestrian accident does not bar you from pursuing a compensation claim. However, any share of fault you may have for the accident can diminish your compensation.

When the driver or other liable party tries to shift blame for the accident onto you, you should talk to a pedestrian accident lawyer as soon as possible to help you push back against the driver’s claims and fight to secure maximum compensation for your injuries.

How a Lawyer Can Help You Recover Compensation for Pedestrian Accident Injuries

After suffering severe pedestrian accident injuries, you deserve to focus on your treatment and rehabilitation to return to everyday life after an accident. A pedestrian accident lawyer can take care of the details of preparing and pursuing your legal claims while you spend your time on your physical and emotional recovery.

A lawyer can help you with each stage of the claims process, including:

Christopher D. Alas, Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Pedestrian accidents cause tens of thousands of injuries yearly, with thousands of pedestrian accident victims suffering fatal injuries. A pedestrian accident can cause a wide range of injuries, including severe injuries that lead to physical disability, permanent scarring, and reduced quality of life. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer.

You may have several options for recovering compensation for your medical treatment, reduced earnings, and other losses, including seeking insurance coverage or pursuing legal claims against an at-fault driver and other liable parties.

Begin treating your injuries and collecting information and evidence to build your legal claim. A pedestrian accident lawyer can take over that claim process for you, advocating for a fair financial recovery for your injuries.