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Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian accidents are among the most devastating and consequential accidents that happen on the road. While drivers have plenty of protection to keep them safe, pedestrians have nothing to protect them if they get hit. This often leads to life-altering injuries, expensive medical bills, and a lengthy rehabilitation period, but the good news is that you don’t have to go through it all alone. If you or someone you love is the recent victim of an accident like this, HoeyLegal can help. 

What is a Pedestrian Accident?

Unlike most road accidents, which typically only involve motor vehicles, a pedestrian accident occurs when a motor vehicle, like a car, truck, or SUV, strikes a pedestrian on foot. These types of accidents most often happen in parking lots, crosswalks, and even on sidewalks, and because the pedestrian has nothing to protect them from the much bigger, faster, and stronger vehicle hitting them, life-changing injuries and pedestrian deaths are incredibly common.

While motor vehicle accidents are still far more common overall, pedestrian accidents are on the rise at an alarming rate and come with much higher risks. In 2023 alone, there were 7,314 pedestrian deaths and 68,244 pedestrian injuries from accidents like these.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian accidents can stem from numerous factors, yet most occur due to a few prevalent scenarios. Common causes of these incidents include:

  • Distracted driving, including using a cell phone behind the wheel.
  • Failure to yield or stop at intersections and crosswalks.
  • Speeding or otherwise reckless driving in areas with many pedestrians.
  • Drunk or impaired driving.
  • Poor visibility due to inadequate lighting, unsafe road design, or inclement weather.

The unfortunate fact about pedestrian accidents is that many of them are completely preventable, especially in cases where drivers ignore traffic laws. However, regardless of whether the accident occurred on the open road or in a crosswalk, an experienced pedestrian accident attorney from HoeyLegal can help ensure that the rights of injured pedestrians are always protected and at-fault drivers are held responsible.

What You Should Do After an Accident

The actions you take immediately after an accident are crucial to both ensuring your safety and protecting your legal rights. If you are injured in an accident, here is what you should do. 

  1. Call 911 to report the accident and get medical assistance as soon as possible.
  2. Seek Medical Attention even if you think you only have minor injuries. Some conditions may only start showing symptoms later on, and medical reports can act as essential evidence. 
  3. Obtain a copy of the police report and gather witness contact information, both of which are crucial pieces of evidence.
  4. Document the scene by taking pictures of the vehicle, your surroundings, damaged property, and your injuries.
  5. Do not speak with insurance adjusters, as they will try to get you to settle for much less than you deserve.

Contact an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer to guide you through the claims process.

a paramedic providing fist aid to a pedestrain accident victim

Potential Compensation for Pedestrian Injuries

When someone is injured in a pedestrian accident, the state of Pennsylvania affirms their right to seek just compensation. While the amount and breakdown of pedestrian accident settlements vary depending on the specifics of each case, potential compensation is typically calculated by calculating the sum of these three different types of damages.

  • Economic (Special) Damages: Easily quantifiable expenses, including medical bills, lost income, property damage, and future healthcare costs.
  • Non-Economic (General) Damages: Compensation for intangible losses like pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent disabilities, and loss of enjoyment in life.
  • Punitive Damages: The rarest type of damages given to the victim to punish the guilty party in cases of extreme negligence or maliciousness.

Why You Need an Experienced Pedestrian Accident Attorney

Dealing with the aftermath of a pedestrian accident can be overwhelming. Recovering from the initial trauma of an accident can feel nearly impossible by itself, and when you pile on managing medical bills, negotiating with insurance companies, and navigating the complex legal system on top of that, it’s no wonder many victims feel hopeless. But that’s where HoeyLegal comes in. 

Here at HoeyLegal, our expert legal team specializes in helping our clients get every penny of the compensation that they deserve after an accident. We understand just how difficult these situations can be, and we take great pride in not only fighting for our clients but also giving them the support they need to rest and recover. 

Insurance companies don’t stay in business by giving away maximum settlements to anyone who comes knocking. We know this better than anyone, but with decades of experience negotiating with insurance companies and tens of millions of dollars won for our clients, our proven track record of success speaks for itself. 

Every pedestrian accident case is different, but when you choose HoeyLegal, you’ll be able to trust that your case gets the personalized attention it deserves. So, don’t trust anyone but the best pedestrian injury attorney Chester County has to offer. Choose HoeyLegal and get the legal expertise and trusted advocacy you need to maximize your compensation today.

a justice scale and gavel on a Chester County pedestrian accident lawyers's desk

Contact HoeyLegal Today

Have you or someone you know been the victim of a personal injury from a pedestrian accident? Give us a call at (610) 647-5151, or contact us on our website hoeylegal.com

Our team of legal experts is always here to answer your questions and is happy to discuss how we can help you and your family achieve your compensation goals. We’ll even offer you a free, no-obligation legal consultation so that we can get to know your case and offer you the expert legal guidance you need to set out on the best path forward. 

Being the victim in a pedestrian accident is never easy, but our team is always here to be a trusted advocate who will fight for you to the very end. Don’t push off pursuing your pedestrian accident claims any longer. Contact HoeyLegal and get the expert pedestrian injury attorney you need to win your case today!

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Distracted Driving

Pennsylvania defines distracted driving as “an activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.” Drivers have to focus on driving, so they can react to the information on the road, such as road conditions, hazards and other drivers. Distracted drivers do not react appropriately and thus put others at risk for severe injury or death. Examples of distractions, besides using cell phones and texting, include drinking, eating, adjusting the radio, adjusting climate controls, adjusting seats, combing hair, putting on make-up, daydreaming, reaching for dropped items, engaging in heavy conversations, and focusing on events outside of the car.

Driving Under the Influence

Driving under the influence typically refers to alcohol use, but drug use can also impair drivers and cause severe car accidents.  In either situation, enjoying cocktails at happy hour, celebrating with drugs or alcohol, drinking too much wine for dinner and unwinding after a long week at work results in too many motorists driving under the influence.  Controlled substances impact each person differently, making it common for someone to misjudge his or her level of impairment.  These poor judgments can lead to severe and sometimes fatal car accidents.

Driver Fatigue

Driving without enough sleep is commonplace for many in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and across the nation. Truck drivers, shift workers, and those with sleep disorders are most vulnerable to causing an accident because they are drowsy or fatigued. Not having enough rest slows down reaction time and impairs the senses. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) claims that eighteen (18) hours without sleep impairs a driver to the same extent as someone who has a 0.08 blood or breath alcohol concentration after consuming alcohol.

Speeding

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that one-third of all car accidents involve speeding. Drivers who rush, run late, or simply lack patience may choose to speed when they get behind the wheel. Speeding makes it more likely that a driver will lose control of his or her vehicle and makes it more difficult to react to road hazards and other vehicles. Speeding also increases the impact of a car accident and makes it far less likely that a negligent driver may maintain control of his vehicle sufficient to prevent a collision. High speed car accidents make it far more likely that those involved will suffer severe injuries or death.

OBTAIN NECESSARY COURT ORDERS TO PRESERVE EVIDENCE

At HoeyLegal, we know from our litigation experience that tractor-trailer drivers often operate at least one cellular phone which is in use at, during, or immediately prior to a tractor-trailer accident. Additionally, most tractor-trailers are equipped with data recorders which capture, in real-time, important vehicle operation events including speed, hard braking and other evasive maneuvers taken by the operator and the tractor-trailer.  It is imperative that this evidence be obtained before it is destroyed.  At HoeyLegal, our trial attorneys will obtain any necessary court order to preserve this evidence for trial.

IDENTIFY ALL AT-FAULT DEFENDANTS

Oftentimes, there are several defendants responsible for the tractor-trailer accident. In most cases, at least two defendants are responsible for the ownership and operation of the tractor-trailer.  There may be additional defendants responsible for the hiring and retention of the tractor-trailer driver.  At HoeyLegal, our investigators will promptly identify the responsible defendants and immediately request the preservation of all evidence related to the hiring and retention of the driver, inspection of the vehicles and the supervision and drug/alcohol testing of the vehicle operator.

LOCATE, EXAMINE AND INSPECT THE TRACTOR-TRAILER

Our accident investigators include mechanics who will immediately respond to the accident site and the location where the truck has been impounded in order to photograph the truck and conduct necessary mechanical inspections of the vehicle. In the event that a court order is necessary to examine and inspect the trucks, HoeyLegal Attorneys will promptly file the necessary motions to enable the HoeyLegal mechanics and inspectors to conduct a prompt evaluation of the mechanical function of the at-fault tractor-trailer

ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION

Our expert accident investigators include former Pennsylvania State Police accident investigators and nationally recognized engineers who will carefully photograph the accident scene and conduct all necessary measurements of skid marks, yaw marks, displacement of debris and thoroughly examine the accident site to preserve all evidence for the time of trial.

INTERVIEW ALL WITNESS

Our investigators will promptly interview and record all witnesses that observed the accident and collect all biographical information from the witnesses so they will available to testify on your behalf at trial.

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