The Florida Pedestrian Accident Guide was created by Victory Law Firm to help injured residents obtain maximum compensation. Call our lawyers for a review.
Have you been seriously injured after being hit by a driver who was careless or negligent? Pedestrian accidents can be absolutely catastrophic and we are terribly sorry that you’ve had to go through pain and suffering at the hands of someone else. When this happens to you, we want to help you get justice. We have the skill and the knowledge to provide you with the results that you deserve. You just need to call to set up a free, first consultation with our Florida pedestrian accident lawyers. You deserve justice and we want to fight to get it for you. Don’t hesitate. Call us today.
Pedestrian Accident Claim Process
It’s not uncommon for people to be confused about what happens next in a personal injury case pertaining to pedestrian accidents. We want you to know that our lawyers will be by your side every step of the way so none of this has to feel confusing for you. Generally speaking, when we start a claims process, we are going to investigate who the liable party is. When we can determine who the liable party is based on the evidence surrounding your case, we can file the claim against them.
When we seek justice, we are doing so in the form of financial compensation. This compensation is going to come from the insurance company. If you had any hang-ups about filing a case because you were worried about suing someone directly please understand that they are insurance companies are going to be responsible for you being financially compensated and that’s why they exist.
It’s also to be noted that these insurance companies tend to not want to provide you with the results that you deserve because it means that it will cost them money sometimes. Insurance companies want to protect their bottom line and end up making a profit which means giving you the results you deserve isn’t going to be profitable in some cases. It is the job of our Florida pedestrian accident lawyers to fight for your rights to the compensation.
We will negotiate with the insurance company to push them to give us a fair settlement offer. If they keep coming back to us with settlement offers that are unfair then we are going to prepare your case from the very beginning as if it was going to trial so that we won’t be surprised if it ends up going to trial to give you results you deserve.
Throughout this entire time, you were going to have our guidance and support. These cases are time consuming so we hope you are patient and waiting for results. We will always push against the insurance company to move faster but they have their own delay tactics to try to discourage us from getting the results that we know you deserve. We always work with your best interest in heart and we will fight hard to ensure that you get what you deserve.
Avoid Making These Mistakes
There are some things that you need to understand about pedestrian accident cases that can ultimately affect your end results. First you need to know that you have to reach out to our Florida pedestrian accident lawyers very quickly after your accident. We know that in Florida the statute of limitations or the amount of time in which you have to file your claim is for years. That can seem like a lot but at the end of the day when you let some things slide off of your radar you can end up putting off action to make it happen and four years can seem quite quick. We don’t want you to end up losing out on justice because you didn’t reach out to our lawyers to set up a consultation soon enough. We urge you to call us immediately after your accident to set up your free first consultation. This will help prevent you from letting it get away from you and letting life distract you from pursuing justice.
Something else that you need to know is that the insurance company is going to be looking for any little mistakes that you’ve made following your accident and they’re going to try to reduce your case value or throw away your case all together. They are very much interested in saving themselves money and if you were to act in a particular way such as waiting to seek medical attention then they are going to look at that suspiciously. You should get to a doctor immediately after your accident mostly for your own well-being but also because you don’t want the insurance company to claim that your accidents weren’t as severe as you say they were or that you could’ve possibly gotten these injuries at a different time which would wash their hands clean of responsibility for your compensation. It’s important to act with urgency in all matters.
Furthermore, in Florida if you have been blamed for any portion of this accident your compensation award can be reduced. The insurance company is well aware of these laws for pure comparative negligence and they know that if they can get you to be blamed for even a small percentage of this accident and they can save themselves some money on this case. They have a tool that they use to attempt to get you to ruin your own claim. They will try to obtain a recorded statement from you in which they will try to get you to say something that will allow them to twist against you. We strongly advise you not to give them a recorded statement because if you end up doing that then you were going to potentially risk ruining your case and ruining your justice. It’s deeply important that you don’t talk to the insurance companies before you’ve had a chance to speak with Florida pedestrian accident lawyers.
How We Determine Case Value
Your case value is going to be determined based on two sets of factors. We are going to be looking into what your economic and non-economic damages are. It is important that we do a thorough job of investigating all of your damages and injuries to make sure that we are exploring all avenues of relief.
In order for us to have an accurate understanding of how badly you were hurt and what those injuries are worth in terms of case value, we need to know what your maximum medical recovery will be which we can discover from your doctors after you’ve received the treatments that you needed in order to get back to maximum health possible. That might not be the health that you enjoyed before, but this information is crucial. Without knowing what your maximum medical recovery will be, we likely won’t know what your compensation should be. If any lawyers are promising you a compensation award before you are able to receive treatment or even understand what your condition is fully, then that lawyer is probably not for you. We won’t know your case value for some time.
Your economic damages can be categorized as all of the ways in which you lost money because of this pedestrian accident. In most cases, this is going to break down into your medical bills and expenses, which might mean surgeries and ER visits as well as physical therapy and so on. We will calculate all of these losses including any financial losses from having to miss work because of your injuries. We will also see whether or not you have been permanently disabled. People who have permanent injuries and will never be able to return to work have a lost earning capacity. With that comes a higher compensation award because it must cover all of the past and future financial losses.
Your non-economic damages are going to be any way that your life has been impacted by this accident. Going back to the example of being permanently disabled from your accident, if you spend your life with pain and suffering because of your injury related to the pedestrian accident then that is a lifetime of non-economic damage that you deserve to see compensation for. We will also see how your life quality has been affected by this accident, which you can receive compensation for. While these are tougher to put a number on, our Florida pedestrian accident lawyers will fight very hard to make sure that your results are full and fair in considering what you’ve had to go through because of this negligent and careless driver.
Frequently Asked Pedestrian Accident Questions
After a Pedestrian Accident, Is It a Good Idea to Talk to Insurance Companies?
If you’re a pedestrian in central Florida who’s struck by an automobile, it is critically important that you not speak with the insurance company. What they will attempt to do is either settle your case for a dime on the dollar and as quickly as possible or to try to reduce the negligence attributable to their driver by getting you to say something. It is very important you never speak with the insurance company until you’ve spoken with an attorney. Please contact the attorneys here at the Victory law firm if you’re ever a pedestrian who’s been struck by a vehicle here in central Florida. We are experienced in these types of cases. We’ll be there to help you from the very beginning.
Can a Pedestrian Be Partially at Fault?
Just this week, we were speaking to a client. One of her concerns was she felt that she might be partly at fault for her accident where she was a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. If you have that same concern, you don’t need to worry about not having a claim. Here in Florida, it’s very rare that you’ll have a case that’s completely 100% liability on one party versus the other. Insurance companies will always attempt to attribute some fault on the plaintiff, which would be you. Do not let those thoughts run through your head without speaking to an attorney. We can talk through the specific facts of your case and let you know what our experience has taught us about what the likelihood result of your case might be. No matter how much you think you may be at fault as a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, you absolutely have a case. There is very little chance that a driver who strikes a pedestrian is going to escape any liability at all. If you’re a pedestrian and you’ve been struck, talk to us. Give us a call. We’ll talk about the details of your case. We’re happy to help you. We’re very experienced in pedestrian accidents. We will push your cash forward as aggressively as possible.
How Do I Determine the Value of My Pedestrian Accident Claim?
Just last week, we were speaking with one of our clients who was a pedestrian who was struck and severely injured. She wanted to know how we determine the value of her case. In those types of cases, the value of the case is going to be very detail specific. If one person has minor injuries, we can expect the value of that case to be more modest. The more severe injuries, the more exorbitant the medical bills are, certainly the higher the value of the case is. Generally, we start with what the medical bills are to determine what the value of the case might be.
Now, that’s just a starting point. From there, there are things such as pain and suffering which can increase the value of a case tremendously. That’s something that juries look at and will award a plaintiff based on how this incident affected your life. On top of that, there’s lost wages. There’s the inability to earn wages in the future. There are many factors that go into increasing the value of your case on top of what the medical bills are. It’s critically important that if you’re a pedestrian in central Florida who’s been injured, that you contact us at the Victory law firm to determine exactly what the value of your case might be and to be able to assist you with that in extracting the maximum value potential for you.
How Do I Select the Best Pedestrian Accident Attorney?
Here in Florida, we have a disproportionate amount of fatalities to pedestrians. Part of the reason is Florida’s beautiful year-round weather which invites people to be outside walking around. It’s important that you pick the right attorney to represent you if you’re a pedestrian who’s been injured in that type of case. Here at the Victory law firm, we have years and years of experience handling these types of cases. You never want to hire a firm that specializes in something else and dabbles in pedestrian cases. Your case is very important to us at the Victory law firm and there are specific details that an experienced pedestrian accident attorney will know to look for. Perhaps it has to do with lighting conditions, road conditions, whether signage was properly put up, and not just whether a vehicle ran a red light or a stop sign. There are many factors to consider and only an experienced attorney in pedestrian accidents will be able to fully pull out the maximum value for your case. If you are a pedestrian who has been injured, we implore you to please reach out to us as quickly as possible here at the Victory law firm.
How Does a Pedestrian Injury Claim Differ from a Normal Auto Accident Claim?
Here in Florida, we have a disproportionate amount of injuries to pedestrians who are struck by vehicles from the rest of the nation. This is in part due to our fantastic weather, many sidewalks and trails, and our dense population and high number of drivers. Central Florida, in particular, is home to many tourists and many elderly drivers who tend to be involved in these types of incidents. A lot of times, we are asked how a pedestrian injury case is different than an automobile injury case. If you’re struck by a vehicle, the process would be the same as if you were in a vehicle struck by another vehicle. We would immediately make a claim against the other driver’s insurance company and we would also explore any other insurance that might be applicable. The number one thing you should do is get treatment right away, just like if it were an automobile accident. The process would very much be the same. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents tend to be far more devastating than automobile accidents. If you are a pedestrian who’s been struck by a vehicle in Florida, please don’t wait. Reach out to the attorneys here at the Victory law firm.
How Long Will It Take to Settle My Pedestrian Accident Claim?
One of the most common questions we get from clients who are pedestrians who have been struck is how long it is going to take to settle their case. Now, oftentimes, they’re severely injured and they need the financial assistance, so time is of the essence to many of our clients. The time it takes to settle a pedestrian injury case varies from case to case. Primarily, the most important thing is to get you the treatment that you need. Once that treatment is completed, that’s when the case can begin to get pushed forward. At the Victory law firm, we pursue these cases very aggressively and very quickly. The time it actually takes to settle your case will vary depending on whether the at fault part is accepting liability, whether they’re choosing to fight it. There are many different factors in every type of case. Cases can settle within days or sometimes it can take months. It all depends on the specific facts of your case. If you’re a pedestrian that has been injured, please contact the Victory law firm. We can discuss with you exactly in your specific case how long a settlement might take. We’d love to have that conversation with you.
I was involved in a hit and run as a pedestrian in Florida; do I still have a claim?
Here in central Florida, we’ve seen it all too often where a pedestrian is struck by a hit and run driver. If this has happened to you, this does not preclude you from having a claim. It’s important that you reach out to us directly so that we can investigate the facts of your case. In Florida, there’s many potential avenues for a recovery, not just the insurance of the driver but you may have insurance that might cover you. There may be a way of recovering against a third party. Perhaps the lighting wasn’t what it needed to be. Perhaps signage was out, lights were out. There’s any number of avenues to pursue in a case where there’s a hit and run driver so if in fact you were a pedestrian struck by a hit and run driver, which is all too often here in central Florida, we really implore you to have a conversation with us. We’ll be able to delve in more deeply into it and see what it is that we can do for you. Do not think that just because a driver left the scene of the accident that you don’t have a very valid claim to push forward. Please reach out to us here at the Victory law firm right away to discuss.
What are the Steps after a Pedestrian Accident?
If you’re a pedestrian who’s been injured here in central Florida, the first thing you should do is call 911. Your health is the most important thing. The next thing you need to do is contact an attorney, and not just any attorney but an attorney who’s experienced in pedestrian cases. Oftentimes, law firms [00:21] themselves as specializing in automobile cases or this or that or the other and say, “Yeah, we can handle a pedestrian case.” What you want is an attorney who’s experienced in the particular type of case that you’ve been injured in, in this case a pedestrian who’s been struck. It’s critically important that you contact an attorney as quickly as possible. After that, gather as much information as possible. Take photos. Take video if you can. Gather as much information as possible. It’ll help to increase the value of your case later on. Please reach out to the attorneys here at the Victory law firm if you are a pedestrian who’s been injured here in central Florida.
What Are Common Mistakes People Make If They Have Been Injured in a Pedestrian Accident?
If you are a pedestrian who’s been injured here in central Florida, there’s certain things that you can do right away to help your case. We find that a lot of our clients make some key mistakes. Initially, when a case begins, we want to be able to gather as much information as possible. A lot of that is going to come directly from out client. If you are a pedestrian who’s been struck or injured, you right away want to try and gather as much information as possible by way of taking photographs, video if possible, the names of any witnesses, their phone numbers. You want to be able to recreate what the circumstances were around your incident at the time.
It’s the who, the what, the where, and the when, if there was something in the road, weather conditions, vehicles. There’s so much information that you can gather at that moment that’s so helpful to the case. It makes it so that we don’t have to try and investigate those things, recreate those things. It just gives defendants, insurance companies, a lot of way out to defend and try to escape liability. If you are a pedestrian in an accident, don’t make the mistakes of not trying to gather as much information as humanly possible at the scene of your accident. If you have any question about this, please contact the Victory law firm.
Call Our Florida Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Today
If you have suffered a serious injury after being hit by a driver who is negligent or careless, we want to help you get justice. Our Florida pedestrian accident lawyers are here to help you through your case and fight for your full and fair results. If you are looking for lawyers who you can depend on, please give our office a call as soon as possible so we can set up your free first consultation. We care about your justice. Call today.