Virginia Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Pedestrian accidents are dangerous and can be very scary. In a crosswalk or on a sidewalk, the person on foot normally has the right of way. Since pedestrians are not protected by a vehicle, accidents can cause severe injuries including physical harm like broken bones, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries as well as economic and emotional hardship.
If you were in an accident, a Virginia Beach pedestrian accident lawyer could help you collect compensation so that you could recover physically, economically, and emotionally. Our skilled Virginia Beach injury lawyers could work hard to collect evidence from the accident. We could help you show that the driver who hit you was clearly responsible. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers work tirelessly to get our injured clients the best results possible.
Drivers Duty of Care to Pedestrians in Virginia Beach
Drivers in Virginia are responsible for protecting others on the road with them. This includes other drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians in crosswalks and on sidewalks. This is a legal duty to use care to avoid collisions and means drivers must not behave in a way that puts others in danger.
This legal concept of duty is the basis of a negligence claim. If you can show that a driver failed in their duty to drive carefully and this caused your injuries – such as herniated discs in your back, scarring, and fractured ribs – that driver and their insurer may be responsible and may have to pay you compensation. Common ways that drivers act carelessly include:
- Speeding
- Failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk or on a sidewalk
- Driving without lights at night
- Ignoring red lights or stop signs
A Virginia Beach lawyer can gather evidence in a pedestrian accident case to show how the walker was hit and that the car or truck was at-fault. An experienced attorney could also work to make sure you pursue your case within the legal time frame. If the pedestrian claim is not filed in the Virginia Beach Circuit Court within two years of the date of the injury, your rights to make an injury claim is likely forever lost.
Fighting Insurance Companies After a Pedestrian Accident
It is important to have a lawyer on your side ready to fight the insurance companies in any injury claim but especially a serious collision of a person on foot and a car or truck. The at-fault driver’s insurance company will most likely try and blame the accident on you. For example, they may claim that you did not use a crosswalk, stepped out into traffic without looking carefully, or was wearing dark clothing at night which made you hard to see.
They may also try to claim that your injuries were not caused by the accident, but by something else (like a prior health condition) and, therefore, you should not receive compensation. To prevent this from happening, it is important to record everything from the accident. This includes information about the crash and the medical care you receive. This may be strong evidence of the impact of the accident and the mechanism of injury.
The skilled Virginia Beach attorneys with Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers can handle contact and negotiation with the insurance company in a pedestrian accident so you do not have to.
Help from a Compassionate Virginia Beach Pedestrian Accident Attorney
Pedestrian accidents caused by another person’s careless driving often cause life-changing injuries. Even if your injuries are not permanent, your lost paychecks, medical bills, and stress resulting from the accident may be quite serious. It is important to get all the compensation you are entitled to from being hit while walking in a crosswalk or on a sidewalk.
Virginia Beach pedestrian accident lawyers can help you get a money settlement from the insurance company that covers the extent of your injuries. We could fight for you from the beginning of your case to the very end. Call today to learn more about your rights and options.
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