A car accident that involves a pedestrian can have catastrophic results. An accident victim may have serious, life-altering injuries which can even lead to death. A victim of a pedestrian car accident will have massive expenses as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.
If you were injured in a pedestrian car accident, you may want to consider a personal injury lawsuit to recoup your damages. Here are some things you need to know.
What Do You Do Right After Your Accident?
You need to take some important steps right after your accident. If you are able, you need to get yourself out of the roadway to a safer area alongside the road. If you cannot move and you can speak, ask those around you to help keep traffic away from you as best they can.
You or someone nearby should call emergency personnel right away. You need to be seen by paramedics to see how badly you are injured. Do not refuse medical assistance. Even if you do not feel injured, you may have some serious internal injuries that you are not aware of. Internal injuries can be life-threatening. You also need to go to the hospital to help establish your medical evidence.
You should also contact someone you know to come be with you right after an accident. Have them take photos of the scene as part of your evidence. The photos should include the roadway, the vehicle that hit you, any signage in the area that indicates you had the right-of-way over vehicles, and anything else that will help your case.
What Steps Should You Take Within a Few Days of the Accident?
Within the next few days, you need to obtain a copy of the police report from the accident. You also need to call your attorney to discuss a lawsuit. Your attorney will use the information from the police report to contact those responsible for the accident.
He or she will contact the insurance carrier for the driver that hit you to work out a possible settlement. If the driver does not have insurance or is underinsured, your attorney can then move to file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver.
As you get ready for your lawsuit, you need to gather your evidence. This includes your medical report that outlines your injuries, your expenses thus far, photographs of your injuries, pictures of the accident scene, and so on. Your attorney will determine the worth of your injury and move forward with your claim.
How Do You Figure Out the Worth of Your Lawsuit?
The amount of damages you can recover for your accident injuries depends on many factors. The type of injury you have and your medical expenses are a primary factor when your attorney calculates your damages.
Your medical expenses include your hospitalization, surgeries, any therapy you require to heal, medications, medical equipment, long-term inpatient hospitalization, and the like.
If your home requires modifications to make it accessible after your injury, those costs should factor in as well. For instance, if you now use a wheelchair because of your injury, the expense to make your home wheelchair accessible is a valid claim.
Your lost wages and any potential earnings you will miss due to your injury will also be under consideration in your claim. If you can no longer work due to your injury, or if you are no longer able to do the same job and therefore will make a lower wage, you can sue for those losses. You can also sue for pain and suffering as well as emotional distress.
If you file a claim on behalf of a loved one who passed away from the injures in a pedestrian–car accident, you can also sue for wrongful death and loss of companionship.
If you have any questions about a personal injury lawsuit after a pedestrian–car accident, please contact the Queens injury attorneys at Shaevitz & Shaevitz Law Offices. We will help you build your case and work to get you fair compensation.
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