The streets of Roseville, pretty much like any other city in the US, witness several road accidents every year. While pedestrian accidents can be disastrous, recovering from injuries and getting back to a normal life can also be equally challenging.
Therefore, it is essential to understand your legal rights in case of a pedestrian accident to claim justified compensation for the damages. You can also reach out to someone like the Law Office of Brian P. Azemika to seek help with your pedestrian accident case.
Ensure to take necessary measures in case of a pedestrian accident.
A pedestrian accident is when a vehicle hits a pedestrian. The pedestrian may be someone on foot, sitting, walking, running, jogging, or lying down. While pedestrian accidents can happen anywhere on the street or in parking lots, most of them occur around intersections and crosswalks.
Pedestrian accidents are horrific, and each year, more than 6500 people in the US lose their lives to pedestrian accidents. However, if you feel yourself in such an unfortunate situation, make sure you take the following steps-
- Call 911 as soon as possible to ensure you or someone else involved in an accident gets immediate medical attention.
- Get the car owner’s information, insurance information, and contact information of the one who was driving the car.
- Call the local law enforcement to the scene to write a police report and let the police investigate.
- Contact your insurance company.
- Click pictures of the injuries, accident scene, and anything else that might prove to be substantial evidence.
- Collect the information of the witnesses and CCTV footage.
Determining who is at fault is pivotal to the settlement of the claim.
Determining liability in pedestrian accidents may be complicated as either of the parties may be at fault. A driver may be at fault if the driver was-
- Distracted while driving
- Overspeeding
- Not following traffic lights
- Not yielding to the pedestrian who has the right of way
- Not using turn lights at intersections
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs
However, a pedestrian may also be at fault and negligent if he or she was-
- Jaywalking
- Crossing the street even if the traffic signal was green
- Crossing the roads at the point with no crosswalk or traffic signal
- Roaming erratically on prohibited places like freeways, highways, bridges, etc.
Final takeaway
The law can help injured pedestrians secure compensation in case of an accident, provided that they’re not the ones at fault. Regardless of whether or not the driver was criminally charged in the suit, you can get compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering in case of a pedestrian accident.