Pedestrians often sustain severe injuries and incur significant medical bills when they are involved in an accident with a motor vehicle. Understanding the potential compensation available to you when you sustain harm in a pedestrian-car accident is essential to ensuring you seek and receive the maximum amount you need to adequately recover for your losses. Working with a trusted injury attorney from the Law Office of David E. Gordon gives you the best chance of receiving a favorable outcome.
Factors That Impact Compensation After a Pedestrian Accident
While every claim is unique, a few common factors impact almost every case when determining the value of a damage award after being hit by a car.
Injury Severity and Type
Injury severity goes hand in hand with compensation amounts. The more severe an injury is the higher the settlement package. Catastrophic injuries typically lead to more involved, longer-term medical care and more time missed from work. They also increase related losses such as disfigurement, disability, and pain and suffering. When determining compensation, the long-term impact on quality of life, including physical limitations, mental suffering, and loss of enjoyment, is taken into account.
Shared Fault
Many people might assume that a collision between a car and a pedestrian is automatically the fault of the driver. This is not always the case. In some instances, a pedestrian may be at least partially at fault for their own accident and injuries, such as if they were jaywalking. The higher percentage of fault the injured pedestrian holds, the smaller their settlement offer will be.
Insurance Policy Limitations
Typically, it is the at-fault driver’s car insurance coverage that pays damages for a pedestrian-car accident. However, the policy will only pay up to its limit, which, for many drivers, is the state minimum of $25,000 per accident. If the value of an injury case exceeds policy limits, the injured party may not be able to collect what they are truly owed.
Types of Compensation Available to Injured Pedestrians
For most personal injury claims, available damages are divided into two main categories: economic and non-economic. Economic damages compensate an injured person for the financial impacts of their pedestrian-car collision. This can include past and future medical bills, lost wages, and the cost of making adjustments to the home to accommodate for disability.
Non-economic damages are subjective and are meant to compensate hurt people for other negative effects of their accident, like pain and suffering, mental anguish, reduced quality of life, anxiety, and depression.
How Can I Maximize My Pedestrian Accident Damages?
If you are able, gathering evidence, such as photos of the scene and witness information immediately after the accident, is vital. Other steps you can take to maximize your compensation after a pedestrian-car collision include seeking prompt medical attention, which establishes a record of your injuries and helps link them to the wreck.
Keeping accident-related records can also help maximize the settlement amount. This includes copies of the police report and your medical bills, as well as keeping a journal of the events following the accident, such as how your injuries affect you and any communications you have with anyone concerning the wreck.
Let Us Help Determine Your Settlement Amount After a Pedestrian-Car Accident
The resulting injuries and losses after a pedestrian accident are often substantial. While the value of your specific case is individual to your circumstances, our team can help you craft a settlement demand that appropriately addresses your needs. Call the Law Office of David E. Gordon today to begin reviewing the details of your claim to learn how much compensation you could receive after being involved in a pedestrian-car accident.
