Statistics have shown that every year in the U.S., approximately 5,000 pedestrians are killed in vehicle-related accidents, and over 78,000 pedestrians are injured after being hit by a vehicle. In addition to the huge number of pedestrian-vehicle accidents, there are thousands of non-vehicular pedestrian accidents that also take place on a yearly basis. Some of the causes for these accidents include badly-maintained property, defective sidewalks or parking lots, and/or construction or other rubbish that is left on walkways that can cause or contribute to these types of accidents. Regardless of whether a property defect or a vehicle caused the injury or accident, pedestrians are entitled to recover damages for their injuries if they were due to someone else’s negligence.
From a legal standpoint, negligence is one’s failure to do (or not do) something that a reasonable person in a similar situation would do in order to shield others from predictable risks. In order to show negligence in a pedestrian accident, the injured person (who is also known as the plaintiff) must show that the person at fault actually owed the plaintiff a legal duty and they failed to fulfill that duty based on their actions or inactions, and that it caused the accident that resulted in the plaintiff being harmed or injured.
The outcome of a pedestrian accident case generally depends on the careful examination of the facts of each accident as they relate to each of the elements of negligence. Additionally, when a pedestrian injury takes place, there could be more than one party who are legally responsible for the accident. That is why it is extremely important for you to quickly hire a skilled personal injury or pedestrian accident attorney, someone who has the skills and knowledge to be able to accurately evaluate your case and protect your legal rights.
If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident, there are certain steps that you should take after the accident. For instance, you should call the police as soon as possible: do not leave the scene of the accident prior to help arriving. And you should collect the names and telephone numbers of all witnesses to the accident, and don’t make any statements to anyone, including the property owners, the driver’s of the vehicle and especially their insurance companies.
Finally, you should quickly contact a highly qualified pedestrian accident and personal injury law firm like The George McCranie Law firm as soon as you can. Georgia personal injury lawyer George McCranie is an experienced and dedicated attorney who enjoys representing people in your situation and making sure insurance companies pay. Call today at (912) 209-9043 to schedule a free consultation.
