Ideally, vehicles and pedestrians should be crossing paths as little as possible. Unfortunately, negligent drivers often have trouble watching out for pedestrians, and accidents sometimes happen.
After being hit by a negligent driver, you deserve fair compensation for your injuries, experiences, and losses. Our team can help you determine who should pay for your damages, whether insurance is available, and how to file a lawsuit to get the compensation you deserve. Our lawyers can help you evaluate your damages so that no compensation is left out. We can also help you obtain evidence to support your claims and prepare the legal documentation to move your case forward. Pedestrian accidents tend to occur where vehicle traffic runs close to areas of foot traffic. Parking lots, garages, and sidewalks are common locations for pedestrians to be injured. Your attorney can help you hold the driver accountable and secure justice.
Call the offices of Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 to discuss your case with our Birmingham pedestrian accident lawyers in a free claims review.
Getting Fair and Full Compensation After a Pedestrian Accident in Alabaster, Al
Injured pedestrians deserve compensation for their pain, expenses, and suffering. Unfortunately, the process of getting compensation can be very complicated and frustrating. Our pedestrian accident attorneys can help you determine the best way to get compensation so you can move on with your life.
Before you can get compensation, we need to figure out who should have to pay. While some pedestrian accidents are clear from the beginning and defendants are a bit more obvious, not all cases are so simple. Some pedestrian accidents involve multiple vehicles and pedestrians, and the scene is very chaotic and complicated.
The driver of the vehicle who directly hit you should be named in your case. Often, their negligence is the direct cause of the accident. However, other drivers on the road might also be liable if their negligence behind the wheel contributed to the collision. Alternatively, other pedestrians might be liable if they pushed you into the path of the vehicle, accidentally or not.
Some pedestrians are able to get fair compensation from insurance. People are sometimes surprised to learn that pedestrian accidents may be covered by auto insurance. As long as a vehicle is involved, auto insurance may cover it. Injured pedestrians can file third-party claims with the driver’s insurance. Generally, you need to show the insurance company how the driver is at fault for the accident. Drivers are frequently found to be at fault in these kinds of cases.
If insurance is insufficient due to policy limits or the insurance company denies your claim, you can file a lawsuit against the driver or drivers. Lawsuits tend to be more time-consuming and complicated, but they often lead to larger payouts for injured plaintiffs. An attorney can help you get your case started.
How Our Alabaster, AL Pedestrian Accident Attorneys Can Work to Prepare Your Lawsuit
Lawsuits require a lot of time and preparation. Before a case ever sees the inside of a courtroom, plaintiffs must work to gather evidence, assess their damages, and prepare proper legal documentation to move their case forward. You should hire a lawyer with experience handling pedestrian accidents to help you. Otherwise, the process can be overwhelming.
Evaluate Your Damages
First, your attorney can help you determine how much compensation you are entitled to by evaluating your damages. Your damages include financial losses from the accident in addition to emotional or psychological distress and trauma. Your medical bills might be expensive, you might have lost income from being too injured to work, and the entire experience might have left you emotionally scarred. All these damages deserve fair compensation, and your attorney can help you determine exactly what you deserve.
Search for Evidence
To prove your claims and get the compensation you are entitled to, you must have evidence. The evidence might be anything, but it must somehow show that the defendant is liable for your injuries. Each piece of evidence does not have to be entirely definitive or 100% prove your claims. In fact, many cases are built on multiple smaller pieces of evidence that come together to form a larger picture.
Evidence often comes from the area where the accident occurred. Photos, videos from security cameras, and witnesses should all be considered if they are available. We can also obtain copies of police reports about the accident to see if the authorities uncovered any evidence we do not yet know about.
Preparing Legal Documents
One of the most complicated and frustrating parts of the legal process is procedural rules. Documentation is key to the success of your case. Even if we have all the evidence we need to prove your claims in court, it means nothing if we do not follow procedural rules. Improper documentation might slow down your case or even lead to a dismissal. A lawyer can help you avoid mistakes and get everything right the first time.
To begin, we need to draft a formal legal complaint to submit to the court. The complaint contains details that thoroughly explain your injuries, how the accident happened, the defendant’s identity, and why they should be held liable. If information is left out of the complaint, it could jeopardize your entire case.
We can also help you draft and file pretrial motions. These motions might aim to exclude unreliable or irrelevant evidence or evidence that was obtained illegally. They can also be used to compel discovery or make the court decide on important matters before the case begins. Pretrial motions sometimes help us shape the case before it begins, and they are an important tool in our legal strategy.
If You Were Hit By a Vehicle, Call Our Alabaster, AL Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Now
Call the legal team at Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 to discuss your claims with our pedestrian accident lawyers in a free claims assessment.
