Snellings Law PLLC – Pedestrian Accident Attorneys
Getting Hit on Foot
After my first year of law school, I took a comparative constitutional law class in Australia for the summer. It was an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. I recall when we stepped out of the airport to grab a taxi, it was my first experience with cars driving on the “wrong” side of the road. I didn’t think a whole lot about it right away. Once we arrived at our apartment and unloaded our stuff, we wanted to go explore a bit. That is when it hit me – I was going to have to be really careful walking around the city because you have to look for cars coming in the “wrong” direction. More than a few times I had to catch myself and not step out in front of an oncoming vehicle. It is clearly an issue because there are signs on all of the roadways saying “Look Right.” Thankfully, none of us were struck by vehicles, but it was definitely a safety issue for each of us!
Being hit by a vehicle is always scary- but even more so when you are on foot. Without the safety equipment of a car to protect you, pedestrian accidents can be catastrophic- causing life-changing injuries within seconds. Unfortunately, we have handled many pedestrian accidents, the majority of which have involved children. In our cases, it has NOT been the child’s fault – instead, an adult was not paying attention and never saw the child.
Distracted Drivers
There are many things that can distract a reckless driver from the road, including alcohol, drug use, texting- or any other number of factors. It seems that almost every time we get behind the wheel, we witness at least one driver somehow distracted and driving unsafely. When driving, we attempt to avoid drivers like this. When we are walking; however, it is much more difficult. Clearly, we are not as quick to get out of their way or avoid them once we do see them. We can do everything right and still end up being struck by a reckless driver. A couple of things we can do to help out us in the safest position possible:
- Put away the phone! If you are distracted, then you can’t be adequately aware of your surroundings;
- Remove the Airpods, headphones, etc. This helps you to hear your surroundings better as well as reduces your own distraction level;
- Never assume you know a driver’s intent. This means not relying on turn signals or lack thereof, a vehicle slowing down, or any other potential signals that make you assume a vehicle will behave in a certain way;
- Don’t rely on having the right-of-way. Just because you have a walk light, crosswalk protection, etc doesn’t mean a vehicle will abide by it. While you may legally have the right-of-way, that won’t mean much if you are in the hospital or dead; and
- Make sure you can be seen by drivers. Walking at night in dark clothing is quite dangerous. Many drivers don’t pay enough attention while driving in daylight, but when you are a nighttime pedestrian, you are simply much less visible;
Pedestrians Have No Protection
Without the protection of a car during an accident, your injuries can clearly be much worse. With modern safety equipment such as airbags, seatbelts and engineered crumple zones, drivers are left more protected than ever after a car accident. Even if you were to suit up in armor, you would still be very vulnerable when matched up against a vehicle.
The pedestrian accidents we see have injuries ranging from mild to fatal and generally depends on the speed of the accident and the extent to which the driver can slow down before hitting the pedestrian. Common injuries from pedestrian accidents include traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, internal bleeding, amputations, major lacerations, etc. Even if you don’t sustain serious complicated injuries, the mental consequences of your accident can be just as bad.
Get Help Immediately
It is important to seek treatment immediately after a pedestrian accident. If you are involved in a pedestrian accident, go to the hospital. We have seen numerous instances where people have significant injuries that only become apparent after their adrenaline wears off. Always get checked out. As for psychological injuries, we always recommend seeking counseling to help you recover from an accident mentally. Many of our clients have found significant relief after only a few visits yet state it was the most important part of their recovery.
If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident where someone else was at fault, we recommend that you seek help from a qualified personal injury attorney immediately. While you typically have two years to file a Texas lawsuit after the date of the accident, important evidence begins to fade or disappear immediately.
How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help You
A personal injury attorney can help you in numerous aspects of your claim. They can help by identifying at-fault parties and available insurance policies, helping you to avoid early pitfalls to your claim, helping you obtain medical treatment if needed, ensuring that each aspect of your damages is considered by the insurance company, and help in many other ways as well. We always want injured individuals to understand the process and potential pitfalls before they make any decisions or take any action on their claims, which is why we created our free: “A Personal Injury Survival Guide”. Our guide answers frequently asked personal injury questions, gives you answers to additional questions you may not know to ask, and walks you through the personal injury process. After reading this guide, you may decide that you can handle your claim on your own, which is great as well. Our goal is to provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for you and your family.
Don’t forget – anyone can afford to hire a personal injury attorney. Many firms, including Snellings Law, operate on what is called a: “contingency fee basis”. Basically, instead of paying us up front, we take a percentage of the final settlement. We will also cover all of the case related costs from beginning to end.
Choose Snellings Law
At Snellings Law, all we do is personal injury law. If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident due to someone else’s fault, please call us today at 214-387-0387. We will provide a free consultation to answer your questions. You have done nothing wrong, let us handle the insurance company so that you can focus on getting healthy. Choose Snellings Law, Where We Care About the Client, Not the Check.