We at 844SeeMike Personal Injury Lawyers are proud to serve the people of Rockford in personal injury cases, including when you or a loved one has suffered an injury in a pedestrian accident, and we are fully committed to protecting your rights and ensuring that the other party is held legally accountable when negligence occurs. We will fight until the very end to ensure that you receive full financial compensation for all injuries and losses resulting from the accident, including medical expenses, property damage, lost income, and pain and suffering, and you won’t owe us a dime for our services. Contact our pedestrian accident attorneys for a free consultation today.
Wypadki z udziałem pieszych
Accidents involving pedestrians and motor vehicles can result in catastrophic injuries. According to statistics, about 72% of pedestrian accidents occur at night, and a whopping 78% – nearly four in five accidents – occur in urban areas. Crossing busy streets, even at crosswalks, can be quite dangerous, especially for the elderly and those with disabilities. A common problem is turning right on red while failing to recognize and yield to any pedestrians, and distracted driving can also create accidents in these situations. Slower pedestrians, including those who are older and even mothers with small children, may get caught in the middle of divided or undivided roads when the “walk” sign has timed out or underestimate the speed of approaching vehicles while trying to beat the flashing light. More recent statistics are available from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Do typowych sytuacji, w których kierowcy pojazdów silnikowych przypadkowo potrącają pieszych, należą:
Blind driveways
Accidents may occur when a building or other obstruction blocks the driver’s view as they back out of their driveway, and they sometimes cannot see the sidewalk until they’ve already backed into it. This also occurs when backing out of parking lots in retail stores.
Jazda bez należytej uwagi
Unfortunately, some studies show that forms of driver negligence such as distracted driving are on the rise, due in large part to the use of mobile phones. There are three types of distracted driving:
- manual, referring to the driver’s hands;
- visual, referring to the driver’s eyes;
- and cognitive, referring to mental distractions.
Texting is now considered among the most dangerous forms of distracted driving, as it combines all three.
Failure to yield
Although pedestrians in marked crosswalks generally have the right of way, meaning that drivers must yield to them, obstructed views either of pedestrians or street signs and other distractions may lead to accidents at these crosswalks.
Przekroczenie prędkości
A pedestrian can take as many as 20 seconds to cross a wide, three-lane road, but a vehicle moving at 50 m.p.h. moves a long way in the same span of time. Underestimating the speed or distance of a vehicle down the road, perhaps due in part to darkness or inclement weather, can be very dangerous, especially when drivers on the road are distracted.
Drunk driving
Of course, driving while intoxicated creates a range of impairments, including slower reaction-times and poorer judgment, which increase the risk of an accident involving a pedestrian.
Pedestrian Accident Injuries
Most of us are pedestrians in auto-traffic areas at some point of each day, and no human body is a match for a heavy motor vehicle. If you’ve been seriously injured in a pedestrian accident, you may be entitled to significant compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering via a personal injury lawsuit.
Here are some of the more serious injuries which can be sustained by pedestrian accident victims:
Urazy głowy
Należą do nich złamania czaszki i urazy spowodowane uderzeniem tępym przedmiotem, a także urazy mózgu (TBI). Piesi mogą odnieść poważne obrażenia, jeśli po zderzeniu ich głowa uderzy w pojazd lub podłoże, a wstrząs mózgu i/lub uraz mózgu mogą być spowodowane uderzeniem mózgu o wnętrze czaszki. Urazy te mogą prowadzić do utraty zdolności poznawczych lub motorycznych, a w poważnych przypadkach mogą stać się powikłaniami na całe życie.
Urazy pleców, szyi i kręgosłupa
Injuries in the back and spinal cord include bruising, damage to vertebrae, whiplash, and even permanent paralysis. Many spinal cord injuries require surgery to prevent further complications, and temporary paralysis can also occur following an accident, requiring hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation.
Urazy kończyn
Uderzenie pojazdu może spowodować złamania kości, a w poważnych przypadkach – utratę kończyny.
Uraz emocjonalny
Chociaż tego rodzaju uraz psychiczny może być trudniejszy do oszacowania, jest on jednak rzeczywisty i może mieć długotrwały wpływ na stabilność psychiczną i emocjonalną ofiary, co może wymagać skorzystania z pomocy psychologicznej, leczenia farmakologicznego lub innych środków zaradczych.
Śmierć
It’s unfortunately common that pedestrian deaths occur when a vehicle strikes a pedestrian, due not only to the clear size and force of the vehicle, but also the pedestrian’s total lack of protection. In 2013 alone, there were more than 4,700 pedestrian fatalities in traffic accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and it’s important to note that pedestrians are also among the few groups suffering an increase in traffic-related fatalities.
Pedestrian Accident Cases
If you’ve suffered a pedestrian accident injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible to recover compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress in a personal injury litigation, and loss of consortium may be claimed for your spouse, if applicable. Speak with our experienced personal injury attorneys today.
Pedestrian accident lawsuits come in many forms and may incorporate all sorts of legal issues. Here are a few common factors for most pedestrian accidents and resulting lawsuits:
Udowodnienie zaniedbania
As with other personal injury claims, such as for a car accident or traumatic brain injury, a pedestrian accident case must sufficiently demonstrate that the other party’s negligence directly caused or contributed to the accident which resulted in your injury. While presenting this evidence is necessary, gathering it can be a complicated process in itself – especially in cases involving a hit and run driver – and may require witness interviews, obtaining opinions and analyses from accident-reconstruction experts, and obtaining documents such as police reports and medical records.
Roszczenia z tytułu odpowiedzialności za szkody porównawcze
In pedestrian accident claims, the negligent party may claim you were partially responsible for the accident in order to limit his/her own liability. These are accusations of “comparative fault,” and our attorneys know how to defend against them and keep the story straight.
Obliczanie wysokości odszkodowania
Proving the extent of the losses you suffered ties in closely to proving you deserve the damages you are seeking in your pedestrian accident lawsuit. Common forms of damage include past and future lost wages and benefits, past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, short-term or permanent disabilities, and lost capacity for enjoyment of life. Thanks to pay statements and medical bills, calculating past financial losses is relatively simple. Calculating future losses can be more difficult, however, and may require the assistance of medical or economic experts.
Jak pomagamy
If you’ve been in a pedestrian accident involving a negligent driver, you may be unsure of how you will resolve the situation. After you’ve received medical attention, consulting with our attorneys will help you in many ways. Our Rockford pedestrian accident lawyers will:
Poinformujemy Państwa o potencjalnej wartości Państwa roszczenia
Not all pedestrian accident victims will be eligible for compensation in a personal injury case, even for a serious injury; when an individual is entirely at fault for his/her own accident, for example, no one else can be held accountable. On the other hand, if the accident was caused at least in part by the negligence of another person or entity, it is likely that you have a solid and viable claim. Your attorney may also interview witnesses or conduct certain forms of investigation to find evidence of negligence.
Zapoznaj się z dostępnymi opcjami
Some injured pedestrians may expect to file an immediate lawsuit, march into court, and be awarded a large chunk of money from the jury, but this is rarely how the legal process occurs. There are ways to earn your compensation without this type of litigation, and the few cases which do go to trial usually involve very serious injuries. Our personal injury lawyers will negotiate with the insurance company to obtain the best possible settlement for your losses, which is likely to end in your favor without the need for a jury trial.
Jeśli negocjacje te okażą się nieskuteczne dla poszkodowanego, zawsze istnieją inne możliwości, takie jak wniesienie pozwu o odszkodowanie za szkody osobowe do sądu cywilnego lub skorzystanie z „alternatywnych metod rozwiązywania sporów (ADR)”, takich jak mediacja i arbitraż. Państwa adwokat doradzi Państwu w sprawie tych potencjalnych opcji oraz tego, co będzie najlepszym rozwiązaniem w Państwa sprawie.
Przeprowadź dochodzenie w sprawie wypadku i zbierz dowody
Roszczenie prawne będzie oczywiście wymagało dowodów na to, że to zaniedbanie pozwanego spowodowało wypadek i wynikające z niego obrażenia ciała. Może to wiązać się z przeprowadzeniem wielu postępowań wyjaśniających, w tym:
- Przesłuchiwanie świadków;
- W miarę możliwości uzyskanie nagrań z monitoringu przedstawiających wypadek;
- Przeglądanie dokumentacji dotyczącej bezpieczeństwa oraz powiązanych dokumentów;
- Uzyskanie dokumentacji medycznej i protokołów policyjnych;
- Konsultacje z ekspertami ds. rekonstrukcji wypadków;
- Przeprowadzanie przesłuchań świadków lub stosowanie innych metod postępowania dowodowego.
Oceń wartość swojej sprawy
Roszczenia dotyczące obrażeń odniesionych przez pieszych, podobnie jak w przypadku roszczeń związanych z wypadkami samochodowymi, wymagają podania konkretnej kwoty odszkodowania za poniesione obrażenia i straty, którą należy obliczyć na podstawie dotychczasowych strat oraz szacowanych strat przyszłych, takich jak utracone zarobki oraz obecne i przyszłe koszty leczenia. Ofiary obrażeń ciała mogą również ubiegać się o odszkodowanie za straty „niewłasne”, takie jak ból i cierpienie oraz stres emocjonalny.
Reprezentować Państwa w sądzie
In the unlikely event that a reasonable settlement cannot be reached, a trial will be necessary and you simply cannot afford to do it alone. Under the attorney client relationship, your Rockford personal injury lawyer will fight for you until the very end to earn full and fair compensation.
Termin przedawnienia
Under Illinois law, injury victims have up to two (2) years to file a personal injury claim. However, it is imperative to speak with an attorney as soon as possible following the accident to determine your case’s worth and how to earn maximum compensation.
Skontaktuj się z nami już dziś!
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or wrongful death in an accident in the Rockford area, you need an experienced personal injury attorney. Contact 844SeeMike Personal Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation. We are a Chicago-based personal injury law firm, and helping our clients is about counseling, advocating, and ultimately solving problems. With years of experience successfully representing the people and not the powerful, we will take care of the insurance company, your medical treatment costs, your property damage, and your lost wages under the attorney client relationship. We will handle your case quickly and advise you every step of the way, and we will not hesitate to go to trial for you. Lastly, 844SeeMike Personal Injury Lawyers works on a contingency fee basis and is not paid attorneys’ fees unless we win your case. Our no-fee promise is that simple. You have nothing to risk when you hire us – only the opportunity to seek justice.
